Administrative error puts dialysis patients at risk

The crisis appears to have passed but at this time yesterday almost two dozen Belizeans were literally in fear for their lives. Janelle Chanona has the alarming story.

Maria Ack, Certified Dialysis Nurse
“I don’t know, it’s just so frustrating right now.”

Janelle Chanona, Reporting
When the Government changed in February, free dialysis care was limited to those already receiving treatment. But according to Maria Ack, the Certified Dialysis Nurse at Belize Healthcare Partners, on Thursday Belmopan informed the hospital that those subsidized sessions will stop, with immediate effect, until further notice.

Maria Ack
“Those whose purchase orders have already run out will not get anymore dialysis as of today and those who have two or three sessions left on their purchase order will continue and run that out and that will be until, I think they said, July.”

Janelle Chanona
“What does that mean for men, women and children who come here?”

Maria Ack
“Well, at this point I am just confused and frustrated because I don’t know what these people are gonna do. Their lives are so dependent on the machine. They come two, three times a week and if we miss a week, they will be in trouble. There will be shortness of breath in coming here and they are going to die.”

A single dialysis treatment costs approximately seven hundred and fifty dollars so the Government assistance was a Godsend to Sandra Vasquez and her sixty-six year old mother Edita.

Sandra Vasquez, Daughter of Dialysis Patient
“As a salary that we are making we cannot afford seven hundred and forty-eight dollars two times for the week. That’s too much for us. The salaries that we are getting is just maintain our home and maintain out children so please assist us to help our loved ones because it’s hard for us to be in a position that we can’t help our loved ones.”

While Vasquez was already trying to find the cash, fifty-two year old Walter Lodge says he has no one to turn to for help.

Walter Lodge, Dialysis Patient
“I noh have a job, I have to hustle. I do mechanic and sometimes ih really slow right. So I mi glad fi di lee hand weh I get.”

Janelle Chanona
“What does this mean now that the nurse has told you that?”

Walter Lodge
“I can’t do nothing else about it. I just have to stop.”

Janelle Chanona
“Do you know how dangerous it would be to stop?”

Walter Lodge
“Yeah but I can’t do anything else cause I noh have no money to pay right now.”

Maria Ack
“I should think the Ministry of Health should take this seriously and think it over because you can’t just come and cut. I understand if they don’t have funding but give the people notice and tell them as of next month or this we’re stopping the programme but right now they just called today and said well that’s it. I have to face my patients and tell them I can’t do your dialysis because the Ministry of Health is not paying. This is life and death situation and that’s what they don’t understand that.”

Investigations into the incident by Acting Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Health Dr. Jorge Polanco have since revealed that the order was erroneously issued due to overspending on patient care by Government in previous months. Dr. Polanco apologised to those affected by the mistake and maintained that the Ministry of Health is committed to providing the life saving care to those in need. The youngest dialysis patient receiving subsidised treatment at Belize Healthcare Partners is thirteen-year-old Valley of Peace resident Iriselda Magana. Reporting for News Five, I am Janelle Chanona.

According to Polanco, the Government is also conducting a feasibility study to determine if it would be more efficient for public hospitals to purchase and maintain dialysis equipment or continue to subsidise treatment from the private facility at Belize Healthcare Partners.