Dr. Marvin Manzanero Placed on Administrative Leave

Marvin Manzanero

The saga continues….News Five has confirmed that Director of Health Services, Doctor Marvin Manzanero has been placed on administrative leave, pending investigation of alleged misconduct. That’s the information coming to News Five this afternoon after the embattled DHS was reportedly sent home effective today for five days. We have confirmed that on Monday, Doctor Manzanero was given a letter to sign, saying that he was willing to take the demoted position at the HIV Unit of the Ministry of Health and Wellness. However, he was advised not to sign the letter and so today, disciplinary action is being brought against the DHS for something that happened before the current administration took office. According to our sources, the letter accuses him of contributing to the number of COVID-19 mortalities by failing to take up Belize Agriculture Health Authority on an offer to use their lab to speed up testing results in the second quarter of 2020. The Association of Public Service Senior Managers, which has come out against what seems to be an attack on Doctor Manzanero, continues to monitor what is happening.  News Five’s attempt to reach C.E.O. Deysi Mendez for comment was not successful.