Santa Martha Village is Getting a Health Clinic and Resident Nurse

Within the next few weeks, a health clinic and a resident nurse will be installed in Santa Martha Village in Orange Walk. The sixty-by-forty wooden structure is being constructed at this time and will be installed next to the community centre. Aside from it being a commitment to the village made by its area rep Kevin Bernard, the Minister of Health and Wellness says that it will serve not only Santa Martha residents, but also those in neighbouring communities who may need to access health services.  It is being made possible with the support from the Belize Tourism Board.

Kevin Bernard

Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health & Wellness

“Why we needed that? These people had to travel miles to get to Orange Walk; sometimes just to take one basic injection. We cannot be so disconnect from our people when it comes to health. Health is priority as well and so I felt that it was important. We will constantly be looking at providing medical clinics every three months to come into the village, provide support for the residents here. This health centre will not only benefit the community of Santa Martha. I listened to Mister Tun who said that the community had less than seven hundred people; this is about a thousand plus residents living here. The Newland community further down and then you have the close communities like Bomba, close to Maskall – people will access the services so it will make it even better for them. So it was important for me to be able to provide a health service facility here in Santa Martha. We are looking at every major community. I know in Georgeville down south, Minister Mahler and I discussed as well that another part of the funding that we could access would be to do something in that area. I think in Hopkins as well, there is another area there. So I have asked my team during this period, we are going to do assessment of all the community clinics to see what we need in those facilities. I know Minister Mira in Belmopan, I think it is the Salvapan area or Las Flores area where there is a health centre that he himself is working on and I have committed to him that, through our ministry, we will support his work as well to find the resource to develop those health centres. We have to bring health to our people. And that way, in providing access to health services at the community level, it releases and reduces the burden at our primary sources which is the regional hospitals.”