Former K.H.M.H. Board Member says Minister’s Comments of Board’s Performance were Unfair

Fernando Cuellar

One of the controversial topics for the past couple of weeks has been the shortages that the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital continues to experience, followed soon thereafter by the criticism of the hospital’s board of directors, by Minister of Health and Wellness Michel Chebat.  His sharp comments resulted in the resignation of board members Doctor Fernando Cuellar, who was appointed by Chebat two months ago.  Doctor Cuellar shared his position on Open Your Eyes Morning Show today that Chebat’s disapproval of the board was unfair because he knew that the board was doing its best to manage the very limited resources it has.

Dr. Fernando Cuellar, Former Board Member, K.H.M.H.

“Karl Heusner is in dire need of a lot of different things. Karl Heusner is the safety net for many people – a great percentage of our population to get some time of healthcare. Of course it does also certain work where as the referral hospital, we should be able to provide tertiary care for the country. The subvention that is given once a month is not enough and particularly, if you use that subvention up to the point of eighty percent of it for paying salaries and the day-to-day management, there is little that is left to incur additional expenses. Since COVID, anybody would understand that it’s practically like two hospitals in one; you have the regular hospital and you have the COVID hospital, and there has been a lot of adjustments to channel money towards the COVID area and of course with donational support, we’ve managed to come by. Things that can be purchased are purchased.  I took that appointment with the idea of zero tolerance. I have seen the moves played over and over when it comes to politics and what’s happening in Belize. And what triggered this, we had the team leader in healthcare, the Minister of Health, nobody else actually say on public television that the Board of Governors was not doing its job and he knows, he knows very well that’s farthest from the truth. The Chairman, the Deputy Chairman and the new C.E.O. and everybody else had been working hard trying to face the staff because the staff is frustrated, their moral is down and we were trying to tell them things will get better; it won’t happen overnight. So he knows more than anybody else – I wouldn’t have reacted the way I did if da mi another person say something like that, that we’re not pulling our weight, but he said it categorically.”