Homeless and sick: who provides the care?
Anyone who lives in Belize City can’t help but be aware of the small number of homeless citizens who spend their nights and often days in public places. Today one such well known resident slid so far downhill that the media had to take action. But as News Five’s Janelle Chanona reports, the system for dealing with the city’s unfortunate is neither clear nor adequate.
Janelle Chanona, Reporting
Since Friday, fifty-one William Dawson also known as “Bust Up” has been lying in the same spot in front of this building at the corner of Queen Street and New Road. Half naked and badly dehydrated, the homeless man was barely able to move, much less ask for help.
The police, even though the station is right across the street, opted not to respond and referred us to the Department of Human Services. The ambulance we called arrived soon after we did, but after a brief exchange, the E.M.T.s didn’t transport Dawson to the hospital, telling us he was still wearing the hospital gown he had been issued last week. Human Services, they said should bear the responsibility.
Red Cross Volunteers came next to dress Dawson but without transportation, taking him to the hospital fell to the media. The patient was later admitted to ward at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where he will be cleaned up and re-hydrated. But officials say within days, he will be back on the streets and back on drugs.
Dawson’s case has highlighted the long list of problems associated with homelessness. For business owners, the issue is economic.
Rekha Ramchandani, Business Owner
“Everyday we have to move them, they bring the garbage put it right front of fu we store, customer no wah come in. We chase them morning, clean it everyday, again they come back bring in the garbage, lay down right here. Look like even police get tired ah those thing.”
For parents, there are children to consider.
Rakhi Bhojwani, Parent
“With these people walking on the streets, kids are on the streets, there is a school right next door and these crazy people are walking without clothes which is not a good impact on our kids so I think they should be off the streets. They should do something about it.”
Rekha Ramchandani
“I feel sorry for them, but I also helpless. Government supposed to do something about that at least make them stay one place. See like that, he sick, no one will come help him like that.”
For local doctors, treating homeless people, especially those suspected to be infected with HIV, is highly complex.
Doctor Pedro Arriaga, General Physician
“We have no possibility to give to the patients the kind of care that they need, really is nursing care, someone to attend the patients, somebody to help them get food, somebody to give clothing and care and these kinds of things although nurses can do it for a little while after a while because of the availability of beds we need to discharge the patients.”
But if they can’t stay on the streets and they can’t stay in the hospital, where are the homeless to go? According to officials of the Human Services, the Government shelter is an option.
Ava Pennill, Director, Human Services
“They would come to the shelter, they would eat a meal or so and then they disappear. Then if you go for them and bring them back to the shelter, is the shelter a shelter or is the shelter a prison? You know? Can you hold somebody against their will? These are the questions that you start asking.”
“Should we have street ministries where they stay on the street and they are attended to on the street? Some people might think that is not the best way to go, some people might think locking them up in a centre is the best way to go but is that violating their rights? So you need to look at a lot of things in order to answer that question, it’s not a straightforward answer.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Janelle Chanona.
When we last checked, Dawson was still at the K.H.M.H.
