Dr. Jorge Hidalgo Elected as Sec. Gen. of W.F.S.I.C.C.M.

Approximately two thousand delegates, including key policy decision-makers, across all domains of critical care and from over eighty-four countries gathered in Melbourne, Australia last week for the fourteenth World Congress of Intensive Care. Belize forms part of the World Federation of Societies of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine which was established in 1977.  Its objective is to promote the highest standards of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine. Representing Belize was Doctor Jorge Hidalgo, who was elected as Secretary-General.

Jorge Hidalgo

Dr. Jorge Hidalgo, Sec. Gen., W.F.S.I.C.C.M.

“Well the responsibility is an important one because we need to essentially have our voice brought to the World Federation trying to express our need, trying to see how we can get some training. Also trying to see how we can get additional resources. Also as a body we need to engage other countries to become members so the World Federation and share the experience. When we formed the society then we have been having different trainings at Karl Heusner. Also, we have been participating in writing chapters or books. That is also important for us that in Belize also we have people have knowledge and well trained decision despite all the different challenge that we face in the health system that good things happen. In Belize we have the intensive care profession and that is important to mention. The intensivists are doctors with a very critically ill patient. We usually say when someone is very critically ill to ask if an intensivist is part of the group. There are only three intensivists in the country. One is myself and the other one is doctor Fernando Cuellar and Dr. Pedro Arriaga who just came back from his training in Canada.”