Dr. Morazon to Supervise Ongoing Health Studies
Michel Chebat
On Thursday, the Director of Lab Services at the Central Health Region, Doctor Geraldine Morazan was on hand along with Minister of Health and Wellness Michel Chebat to accept a donation of two GenExpert machines from PAHO/WHO. But that may have been the last time that Morazan publicly represents the ministry in that capacity because her contract ends next week and she will not reapply for the post. Chebat says there will be someone holding over while a replacement is found. Today, Doctor Morazan told News Five that she is not leaving the ministry, only moving on to another post.
Michel Chebat, Minister of Health & Wellness
“I don’t think she’s interested in continuing. I believe she has other prospects.”
Marion Ali
“Who is her replacement?”
Michel Chebat
“Mister Chan who has held over before and also have other people in our Ministry who can take up the position if needs be. But we are going to be advertising the position to see from the wider community if there’s somebody who might be interested.”
Geraldine Morazan
Dr. Geraldine Morazan, Director of Lab Services, Central Health Region
“I’m not leaving the country. I will still be providing support on ongoing investigations and studies and working towards the improvement of health in Belize. Baylor College of Medicine, they have studies. They have the acute febrile illness study that is ongoing. We are in the third year and it will end 2023. It’s ongoing studies so I will continue supervising that all the enrolments of new cases for the acute febrile illness, (inaudible) the zero prevalence and also there is a projection to do the sequencing so I will follow up on that – the sequencing. This is a collaboration with Ministry of Health, CDC and Baylor College of Medicine. That is a partnership and we are working also on sending two lab technologists to Baylor College of Medicine to train and sequencing. So I will oversee that process as well.”
Juvencio Chan, a senior medical lab technologist at Central Medical Lab is expected to hold over in Doctor Morazan’s post until someone fills the vacancy. Morazan had served as Director of the Medical Lab between 2015 and 2019. She left for personal reasons in 2020, but was called back to serve for six more months, which has now come to an end.
