Williams flown out to the US for urgent treatment
As we said earlier, Williams was flown out today for further medical treatment. News Five’s Jose Sanchez was at the Philip Goldson International Airport when he was transported by air ambulance to the United States.
Jose Sanchez, Reporting
The Air ambulance, a Learjet thirty-five arrived about five minutes to two. It was greeted by Rudy Coye, the man in the guayabera, from the Aero dispatch unit. The ambulance arrived a few minutes later at the airport. The U.S. based team brought equipment, including oxygen which they then placed on the BERT stretcher. The emergency team, all dressed in black, along with the pilots and BERT personnel held a brief meeting on the logistics of moving Rodwell Williams, who was still not stabilized to travel. The stretcher, filled with medical equipment, was loaded back into the ambulance, which then headed back to Belize City at Belize Health Care Partners. An hour and forty minutes 
later, the ambulance returned to the airport. As she emerged from the ambulance, Felice Williams, the wife of the shooting victim, was greeted by Rudy Castillo. Mrs. Williams waited on the tarmac while the medical team prepared to move Rodwell from the BERT ambulance. She stood pensive and obviously worried, near the plane with no other visible relative or friend in sight. Finally, three medical personnel lifted the stretcher out of the ambulance and rolled it to the jet. A medical technician covers Williams’ face then gave Felice a comforting pat on the back. Medical technicians and even airport attendants assisted in hoisting the attorney onto the air ambulance. Another comforting hand then assisted Felice onto the plane. At twenty past four, the Learjet then made its way onto the runway which then flew on its way to Miami International Airport, where Williams would then be transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital. Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.
When someone like Williams a close friend of the PM is shot and near death everyone is running to his aid, he had a
A whole team of doctors and money is not a problem in this situation.
when you Belizeans without any medical insurance get sick or shot and you are near to death who will help financially to send you immediately out of the country to America for medical treatment, barrow?
Will there be a team of doctors there wanting to save your life for free, will barrow come out and make a goodbye speech about you, just a thought to ponder.
I hope you all have some real money store away for when you sick and in need of help for the doctors in Belize, or overseas.
There you go again, maddyvandijk, hating on people who are successful and earned their way to the top. The kind of messages that you spread on this Web site is what makes some of our troubled youth justify their criminal actions towards those who have more than they do.
Mr. Williams has health insurance. Ok. Ask yourself how can you do the same? Maybe you need to study harder in school, find more drive.
Stop making excuses and feeling sorry for yourself.
maddy please for good sake, stop them kind of comment, this is not a time to be diveded,
If mr barrow is his good friend he has to be there, please. If I was the prime minister and you are my freind of course I would be by your side, common mady, don’t be jealous OK, jealousy kill the spirit.
I totally agree with you maddyvandijk. Whenever people start speaking the truth its called hating.Well regardless if thats the word for it….its still the damn truth and obviously the truth hurts.When those innocent youths in Belize was falling like flies,no one rushed to their aid.Some of these kids didn’t have to die but all the Dean Barrow’s and Rodwell William’s of Belize didn’t give a damn.All they know is,if they ever fall ill, or God forbid,they get shot ,they have a back-up plan.Health insurance plan…jets to fly them away and all that good stuff .Well tell that to all those people who had to bury their kids / family members and see how much better they will feel.What a great consolation prize for these people.Bravo public defendah.
Honestly I thought about the same thing, just wondering what would happen if I was in that situation. I know I would have definitely died in KHMH, I don’t think its a matter of hating on anybody, I think its a reality for most Belizeans. Who can come up with over $100,000 to get flown to the states? Those guys did work hard and are prepared for emergencies of this sort, so kudos to them….I know in my lifetime I will never be prepared for anything like that….But for what is worth, no one wants to see their loved one going through something like this….. However I must add though that I’m saddened by what is happening in our country, my only hope is that the powers that be make the commitment to combat crime. There has been a lot of mistakes made, however we do have the opportunity to make things right. No life is more important than the other and any given day we might be faced with something like this, so I think we need to be sensitive.
Belizeans do not like to hear the truth and that is no wonder their situation is always at a standstill. If you do not share the same opinion with a person on this site then you are either “hating” or you are “jealous”.
You need to pull your heads out of your …. and stop being so darn ignorant at what is your present, your past, and mostly likely will be your future, or your children’s future.
“Macal”, shame on you for your naïve comment, about “Jealousy”. It is a fact that if you macal and Public Defendah do not have any medical insurance for yourselves or your six kids none of these doctors/politicians/lawyers in Belize will give a rat’s .. if you both die or live, truth or fact.
“Divided, perhaps you still do not realize they are on top and you are at the bottom.
So I hope that you both have good jobs and are smart enough to be saving your hard earned money for your kid’s future and their medical insurance like I am doing. I have a carrier just like Williams, and my medical insurance is top, fortunately for me I am better off than many living in Belize right now. I feel sorry for my Belizean people, and how they are being taking advantage of by their leaders/dictators of that country, I feel sorry for those very poor people without jobs, and no money to feed or care for their kids, I feel sorry for mothers that lost their children, I feel sorry for the women and children being victim of rape and abuse, and the list goes.
If you want to stay in denial about your reality in Belize that is your call, but don’t knock on me if I am not saying the things you want to hear, your government is doing enough of that.
This is my call, and if you don’t like it, I have more.
Shelmadine, i totally agree with you.Sometimes we lash out at the wrong paople out of hurt and despair. One point i need to clear up though.You said ” there has been a lot of mistakes made” but i don not see those as mistake but total neglect and disregard for human life on the part of a man who swore to protect its people, but he should ‘ve sworn to protect our money that is being pocketed by him and his people.Sometimes bad things happen to good people as a warning to other…and to those who do not heed to those warnings might get wey di duck get.
Maddy, I am a realist just like you, and I believe in your sentiments. Belizeans are indeed just complacent and will stand aside and watch everything happen to them. We as a people are being raped, not only through the exploitation of our people, but also of our natural resources. Whatever happens in Belize, whether its offshore drilling or whatever it may be, as long as its good, Belizeans do not benefit. Look at Dangriga and Punta Gorda for example, people living in the south do not really see themselves as poor but there are absolutely no opportunities in these places. No job, nothing is really happening. Women are suffering, our system cannot even figure out a way for men to be accountable to their children by paying child support etc. Women and girls are raped and abused daily, the conviction rate for any sex offence in Belize is 2%….Well I will not even speak about the conviction rate for other criminal offences being heard through the supreme court. I see myself as a humble Belizean, working hard like everybody else, but everyday the situation is just getting worst. The cost of living is going up! Politicians continue to fatten their pockets and those of their cronies….the rich is only getting richer and the margin of poverty continues to increase. Children are going to school hungry everyday…no wonder the criminal lifestyle is more appealing…Come on guys, we know what the real issues are, and its certainly not about Mr. Attorney here…We need to make a move to improve our lives cuz these politicians certainly will not do it for it for us…this is the same circus, the clowns are just different.
What we are looking at is a problem that started a long ago. Under Colonialism we learned to be good outstanding subjects. So much so that the most successful of us thought themselves to be British. So all their thoughts and behavioral habits mimic those of the Colonialists. When we achieved Self-Government nothing changed. The Colonialist minded Belizeans were now all powerful. They could not see the abuses and the under-education the British subjected us to. So nothing changed. My point is that the only way out of this mess is “EDUCATION” “FREE EDUCATION.” “YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS” in all fields. It took over 100 years to get us where we are today, it will take a long time to fix it. Belize needs a Government that will commit to the needs of the people—– not to special interest groups. Let me draw your attention to another piece of the puzzle. Belize was a British Colony, yet it is dominated by the Jesuit Society, who by the way controls the education process. Is that an accident? If not them how is that possible? There was a guy who on occasion called the KREM Radio Morning Show and would say…”there are things going on in your country that you are not aware of.” At first I thought he was an alarmist, but I am beginning to see that he is not far from the truth.
Shelmadine, thanks for reading.
People need to be more open and honest with their opinions on these issues surround politics or politicians instead of saying what they think people want to hear. If you are behaving like your politicians then stop ….. complaining about how there is no change in your society, and the politicians are at faults.
This whole situation is much bigger than Williams, unfortunately he was shot, and fortunately he is a close friend of the PM. No one wants him to die, but in this dire situation where the politicians are doing nothing to help save lives, or protect the people someone close to the white house family has to become a victim themselves, There will be many changes from barrow soon enough.
That whole system is flawed, and I am no more awed at what goes on there from day to day.
“Maddyvandijk” I don’t consider your opinions of this matter to be hating,but i simply Do Not under any circumstances think you are looking at this thing from a logical angle,simply put these youths that are dying out here,put themselves In that situation,you are speaking like you know how these streets operate,no one dies for nothing. It is in natural human nature to seek revenge if the victim feels that he/she was violated in whatever way. I am not saying I condone any of the violence that occurs in our society, but in the media world everything is altered,the real cause of a problem is never brought to light and they put it as…oh Another youth shot down in cold blood for nothing…and in turns brainwashing us into really believing people are dying innocent out there which is not so,there is always a justifiable reason. Saying it is WRONG for williams to be sent out of the country is a naive comment that i cannot wrap my thoughts around. He has worked hard throughout the years for his fortune and not because youths out here are dying means that he should follow behind,for what? Maddyvandijk tell me,IF you were in that position what would you do?
REALIST you need to be true to your name… To be a realist u need to know what u are talking about…
“Maddyvandijk” I like your style… it true you are saying everything that is taboo… The government is not a supreme god… the people rules.. sometime and in a true democratic country.. We are all sympathetic for Mr. Williams, but barrow have bigger issues to deal with right now, than to be by his friend side.. no i am not cold-heart i am being real… He would be much more useful to his friend if u actually does something about the crime situation.. Take it like this if he had done something or try to do something about the crime situation a long time ago, when the youth were dropping like fly, maybe just maybe his friend could have save from going through a life and death situation. I thank channel 5 for giving us an avenue to free our minds…
Point me to where it is written by me that I said it is wrong for Williams to be sent out of the country???
I have never heard of Williams till he made headlines on this site, the fact that he is a good friend of the Pm will produce more news about him than we actually care to read about.
Nothing was being done about the crimes, all cries went unheard by the politicians, and people continue to die, rape, beaten, abuse and so on. No doubt some of the killings were revenge, but what about the innocent man or child that was killed from random guns, or were in the wrong place at the wrong time? Don’t tell me about the media, they are a big part of the problem by the type of news they report. I am a”realist”, and I don’t speak in black or white, therefore I do not tell people what I think they want to hear.
It is not shocking to see the media or the mast support surround this man’s tragedy, but his reality looks like a bed of roses, compare to most Belizeans without any money, no jobs, no medical insurance, or future for their kids. No one ever stated in the comments above that he never worked hard for his money, all “assumptions”, and nothing more and you know what they say about assumptions.
I want people to take a serious look at this case perhaps they will take a look at their own situation and compare it to their own, when they are sick there will no mass of doctors begging to save their lives if they have no money, or medical insurance, or not the friend of the PM. This is not about Williams, this is bigger than him, and as far as I am concerned he is not a politician.
There are several stories that I can think of where we can see that the common man is cared for at the local hospitals:
Remember the boy in Roaring Creek that was shot with the pellet gun?
How about Stephen Buckley who was shot at close range by a police officer?
Both individuals received quality healthcare and survived severe injuries.
Those aren’t people from elite society, yet it appears they were given quality care (all this based on what I read in news reports, of course.)
I believe it is the responsibility of the government to provide people the best healthcare possible at home regardless of income, but your own expenses should pay for care outside the country. The government shouldn’t be responsibile to see to it that people receive care outside Belize.
That’s where the non-profits come in, the donations and for the lucky minority, the accumulated wealth from financial success.
I was born in abject poverty in the slums of Belize.I did not know what was a pair of long foot pants untill I was old enough to work and buy a pair at the age of 13.Never know what was the comfort of a bed untill later on in life,but I never hate people that had more than me.A matter of fact they were my role model.I look at what they do to get what they have and I try to do the same.I have not heard Mr Williams , or his family beg no one for donation.The man have the resource to get the medical care.It is his life on the line and he have the money to do something about it,maybe if some of you would stop cry and try your life would be better.
Should we be upset that Williams is able to fly out of the country while others like myself would have to seek treatment at home? I don’t think so.
What we should do is continously demand quality care at home. And in the past 10+ years, healthcare has been improving in Belize.
We even have that children’s hospital coming soon, which will be a huge bonus.
I agree with john boy/carson, Mr. Williams is a hard working individual and he deserves what is best for him, each and everyone of us should try to do the same for ourselves, life is full of opportunities and we need to take advantage of it. After all we gotta start somewhere in life
so if the man has money to fly out so be it dont hate the fact that he has money any rich person be it in Belize or any where else would do the same. You got to realize these people work hard for what they have his father worked hard to send them to college and I will not be angry over what they can do for them self. You should be talking about finding the shooter instead.