The audit of the Central Health Region is done, and the thirty-seven page report is out. It’s comprehensive and detailed, and paints a very grim picture of the health personnel who were entrusted with public monies. On Thursday night we showed you just a portion of the findings of the audit team. They point to […]
Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Health, Peter Allen, isn’t making many friends in the health sector these days. That much is crystal clear in a release sent out by the Nurses Association of Belize, dated May sixth 2014. The letter is addressed to Public Services Commission Chairman, Patrick Bernard, copied to Allen, Director […]
On August twenty-sixth 2013 the Auditor-General of Belize was notified that there were credible reports of misuse of public funds at the Central Health Region. Four days later an audit team commenced an investigation which concluded on October first, 2013. News Five has received a copy of the detailed audit report with recommendations. It is […]
An eighty-three year old woman who lived alone died in an inferno when her house was set on fire. She lived alone and could not get out of harm’s way. Her demise highlights the situation faced by many elderly persons who also live in extreme poverty. Today, the National Council on Ageing launched a moving […]
May is celebrated as Lupus Awareness month. Lupus is a lesser known disease in Belize but there are a number of persons, predominantly women, who are living with lupus. There is not much awareness of the disease but the annual Lupus Walk will be held this upcoming weekend. This week’s Healthy Living is focused on […]
The Ministry of Health today held a mental health workshop. The workshop held at the Belize Institute of Management was focused on the need for stakeholders to provide employment for persons with mental disabilities. The two-day workshop is providing coaching and training to potential employers for the inclusion of mental health persons who have generally […]
Helping with the workshop is Disability Aid Abroad representative, Carey Ann Clarke. According to Clarke, they are bringing their forty years of experience of supporting and training persons with mental disabilities across the world to Belize. Clarke says that in Belize there is a real issue with employing persons with mental health difficulties. Carey […]
You don’t have to miss a workout again….Fitness Trainer Joel McDougall on Wednesday officially launched the Joel McD’s workout program, EX-Five, to help you stay in shape. The fitness trainer is providing online one-hour workout sessions so those persons who may often times be traveling, always late from work or stuck at home with the […]
May is cancer awareness month in Belize. Worldwide, awareness about skin cancer is also a priority throughout the month. While it may not be the most prevalent, Belizeans are highly susceptible to skin cancer. The good news is that it is not only preventable, but it is also treatable, if detected early. Tonight in Healthy […]
The new, not yet approved Director of Drug Inspectorate, Danini Contreras, has become a highly controversial figure. She is the daughter of U.D.P. Minister Erwin Contreras, and technical experts including Director of Health Services Michael Pitts say she is the wrong person for the job. Still, the Ministry of Health seems intent on pushing the […]
At a press conference hosted by the Ministry of Health last Friday, media personnel were informed that each media house could ask only two questions. Calling a press conference to show how transparent and accessible the ministry is, and then telling the press how many questions they can ask is disrespectful at best. That session […]
The ongoing controversy within the Ministry of Health has become somewhat cloudy. Ministry of Health C.E.O., Peter Allen, continues to insist that patient safety is top priority. So does the Pharmacist Association. Both parties say there is the need for stronger regulation where pharmaceuticals are concerned, and both blame the other for a lack of […]
One other area where there is significant discord is the testing of pharmaceuticals which are brought into the country. The Ministry of Health insists that proper testing protocols are in place, and in fact are being strengthened. The Pharmacists’ Association, Chief Pharmacist Sharon Anderson and Director of Health Services Michael Pitts have all indicated that […]
This morning, the Ministry of Health launched its blueprint for the effective and efficient integration of health services. It’s entitled the Belize Health Sector Strategic Plan, and the focus is to build a primary care network which is sustainable, and which results in a greater impact on the health of the population. The Plan also […]
The nurses of Belize are rarely in the spotlight, seldom singled out for criticism, praise or controversy. But there is no doubt they are a very vital component of our health system – some might say the foundation. There’s no Doctor’s Week that we know of, but there is a week dedicated to nurses. It’s […]
After weeks of sustained fire by the Pharmacists’ Association of Belize, the Ministry of Health called a press conference this morning to allow C.E.O. Peter Allen to answer serious allegations being made against him. In essence, it appeared to be a show of unity for the embattled C.E.O., who has been of all sorts of […]
The decision to allow three other persons, including Danini Contreras, to approve Customs entries of pharmaceuticals was made on the strength of one email. That email was circulated on April eleventh by Procurement Manager, Arik Lima. It has been reported that in his email, Lima stated that Chief Pharmacist Sharon Anderson was on strike and […]
In October 2013, Administrator of the Southern Regional Hospital Nasley Sommerville was placed on suspension for suspected embezzlement of funds. A subsequent audit revealed that almost three hundred and seventy thousand dollars was siphoned off from the hospital’s Maternal and Child Health account over two years. Sommerville is to appear before the Public Services Commission. […]
That seems like woes aplenty, but there’s even more. News Five has been able to confirm that member of the K.H.M.H. Board of Directors, Maude Sylvester, resigned on Thursday. She is the second K.H.M.H. Board member to resign recently. We are told that the resignations are directly connected to the K.H.M.H.’s Director of Finance, Carlos […]
So where does Minister Pablo Marin stand in all this? C.E.O. Peter Allen is his hands on guy, his right hand, so to speak. Well, despite the myriad administrative and technical problems in the ministry, and despite the damning condemnation in the Auditor-General – Marin has his C.E.O.’s back. Reporter “Do you still maintain […]
In light of the ongoing debacle within the Ministry of Health, particularly where it concerns the recent appointment of Danini Contreras as Director of Drug Inspectorate, as well as the procurement of pharmaceuticals, a release has been issued by a collective of suppliers in support of stringent measures by the Ministry of Health to ensure […]
It’s dry, it’s windy and the mayflowers are in full bloom. Sounds like a beautiful day in the jewel, but for allergy sufferers – it’s anything but. In the United States, the 2014 allergy season is predicted to be a tough one, as the extended cold has proved better for pollination of plants. But what […]
The Pharmacy Association of Belize was outraged and went public when the post of Director of Drug Inspectorate was created and Danini Contreras, the daughter of Minister Contreras, was appointed to it even though she does not qualify. Since then, the association has been speaking out on a myriad of decisions taken in Ministry of […]
The pharmacy dispute surrounding the appointment of a Minister’s daughter remains on centre stage. Danini Contreras is the daughter of U.D.P. Minister Erwin Contreras. Contreras, who is not registered as a pharmacist in Belize, has been appointed to a post which was created for her in the Ministry of Health. The questions arising from her […]
Those circumstances surrounding the Chief Pharmacist, and arising from the appointment of Danini Contreras, are among the issues which have been taken before the Minister of Labour. As promised, the PSU has declared the matter an essential services dispute. Also on the table is pharmacy related legislation which has been sitting on the Solicitor-General’s desk […]
