Leader of the Opposition calls for firing of Health Minister…

It was not only the Prime Minister who spoke today to the media on the crisis of the health system. Leader of the Opposition, John Briceño, also spoke at a press conference this morning at the People’s United Party headquarters at Independence Hall in Belize City. The room was packed with about a hundred and fifty supporters and members of the media. Briceño’s speech covered a range of national topics, most of which he believes the government is faltering on. None of the issues rang louder than that of the current state of the Ministry of Health, which the opposition finds deplorable. During the conference, several times he called on Prime Minister Barrow to remove Pablo Marin, the Minister of Health.

John Briceño, Leader of the Opposition
“What is happening with the promise roll out of NHI? What are they doing with the money they received from Social Security to run NHI in the Southside Belize City and in Toledo? Why was there no pediatrician at the clinic in San Antonio when baby Evander Sho was there? Why was there no obstetrician in the hospital in Punta Gorda when baby Andy Jones was born? NHI, through Social Security, is paying for these services, and yet these people were not there. Whether it is a lack of supervision, a lack of training, or the absence of proper protocols on the part of the ministry of health or worse, a lack of compliance with the contracts agreements with respect to NHI, it is unacceptable that Belizean babies are dying right in our clinics and hospitals due to negligence. I believe that it is time for the Prime Minister to replace the Minister of Health. In addition to all that is going on, we now learn in the news that there are allegations of corruption in the Ministry of Health with the issuing of pharmaceutical contracts. It is time for the Minister of Health to go.”