Dr. Hegar: “My services are needed”

Amin Hegar

Hegar’s termination leaves a huge vacuum at the K.H.M.H.   According to the doctor, it places the members of the public in a vulnerable position since he was the only one in the public sector to offer ophthalmologic services at the K.H.M.H.

Dr. Amin Hegar, Ophthalmologist

“I am the only in ophthalmology. They told me that they would fire also another internist. They told me Doctor Cuellar. I haven’t confirmed that. Imagine doctor Cuellar is an internist specialized in emergencies and especially now in COVID-19 you need him more than me because of all of this emergency with the virus but you need all the specialist. That is okay. It does not matter if I am Belizean or not I just give the service.”

Hipolito Novelo

“How long have you been on contract with the K.H.M.H. or how long have you been offering you services there?”

Dr. Amin Hegar

“I have been there for over twenty years since the old Belize City Hospital. I left a little while and they re-contracted me month to month to do the service which I didn’t mind. Doctor Valdez left two to three years ago because he moved to Belmopan. He was doing part time and I was doing part time and now I am doing his time at the same cost, less than two thousand dollars a month to be on call twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, all the time.”

Hipolito Novelo

“How often do they call you?”

Dr. Amin Hegar

“They call me five, ten fifteen. It depends. Sometimes one case is enough. They might not call me at all I am on call. Another thing they don’t have the equipment, not at all, at the hospital. No instrument at all. I have to be carrying my instrument all the time. One time I had to carry my portable microscope, it spoiled having it up and down. So I can’t take the other big one. So the patients come here and pay the stipend and the cost to do at no professional additional cost. I have been asking them for equipment ever since. You know they buy other, well that is government’s side but it seems that they don’t have that a priority.”

It has been almost a week since Doctor Hegar was verbally informed that his services are no longer needed at the K.H.M.H.  According to Doctor Hegar, he has not received an official letter from the K.H.M.H.A. informing him of such decision.