Health Minister Marin Says NHI Being Rolled Out
On Friday, during the Sitting of the House of Representatives, Cayo South Area Representative Julius Espat took on Health Minister Pablo Marin. Espat challenged Marin over the lack of medical personnel and services in many of the rural villages in Cayo South. He said that many of his constituents are not only having difficulties in accessing affordable healthcare but some have passed due to those difficulties. In response, Marin said that the Ministry has begun rolling out NHI, but in phases.
Julius Espat, Area Representative, Cayo South
“I have had constituents that have died of kidney failure in the Unitedville Village. I have had constituents that have had their feet amputated in Camalote Village. I have constituents that are dying presently of cancer in Ontario. I have children that suffer from malnutrition. I can continue and continue Madam Speaker and I thought it was important that I highlight some statistics so that the present government can appreciate. Let me give you the reality of Cayo South Madam Speaker. The village of Armenia has no healthcare professionals. What the village of Armenia has, Madam Speaker, they have two what they call community health workers. Basically, they don’t have any equipment. Madam Speaker they get sometimes visits by international doctors that provide certain services at a periodic time of the year. The nurses that come, come basically once a month and they are only there to vaccinate baby and basically deal with pregnancy control. Saint Margaret Madam Speaker, a medical clinic is there, infrastructure is there. I’ve visited it but it has nothing inside.”
Pablo Marin, Minister of Health
“This administration with the help of the Honorable Dean Barrow we took finance from Government and started to use twelve million to maintain what was in the NHI. We already started to roll it out little by little but with the conscience that we won’t deplete the people’s money. Right now, we have already started to invest fifteen million under the NHI and its rollout in the north. Little by little, we are coming in and rolling out the NHI and in Corozal Southeast definitely. And what you are saying also, for us to continue doing what we are doing and if you look at the statistics from 2008 to right now, we have employed more doctors and more nurses. Madam Speaker you know that human resources not only in Belize but in every other part in the world are needed.”
