Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa is Collateral Damage

Melissa Diaz-Musa

But Doctor Marvin Manzanero is not the only person being affected by what is widely perceived to be a concerted effort to have him removed as DHS.  Since December seventh Doctor Melissa Diaz-Musa had been tapped by the Public Service Ministry to become the Acting Director of Health Services. While that contract is to end on March seventh, Doctor Diaz-Musa has already vacated the post due to the difficult circumstances currently surrounding the DHS role.  She will continue to facilitate the vaccines rollout and COVID-19 response.  Diaz Musa was instrumental in the COVID-19 battle in Belize, reducing the positivity rate over the past few months from sixty-five percent down to zero point nine-four percent. A.P.S.S.M. President Sharon Fraser says that the situation is unfortunate.

Sharon Frazer

Sharon Frazer, President, A.P.S.S.M.

“That is what is so sad, so sad because here you have a very talented doctor, obviously with very good management skills and based on the endorsement that she’s getting, seems to work well with the people around her in this fight, which very well has had some impact on the results that we are seeing. I feel that in fact she is a victim in all of this and I surely would not have wanted to be in her position because then my hard work, my professionalism, my ability to manage is being looked at through the wrong lens, instead of the lens that it should be looking through for what it is worth. There are lots of persons who are waiting to shine and just have not been given the opportunity. And here it is an opportunity was afforded to her noh because—forget what people are saying weh ih name—she has been working, she has been in the trenches and I feel that some people would have totally ignore that fact of her hard work, her dedication. She was working even when no recognition was being given to her. So that I feel and that’s why I am disappointed with the way all of this how the whole thing has played out.”