In case you haven’t noticed, there are very few ordinary days, weeks or months left on the calendar. That’s because various businesses, agencies and organisations have decided to celebrate their causes during specific times of the year. This month is no different as the Ministry of Health, the Belize Dental Society and the importers of […]
It’s one of the most common health problems in Belize and the Caribbean. This morning I found out just how widespread diabetes has become. Jacqueline Godwin, Reporting The Belize Diabetes Association got off to an early start before its week of activities comes into full swing on November tenth. Today, during a special ceremony held […]
Activists in the field of HIV have long maintained that stigma and discrimination form a barrier to combating the disease and this week, two workshops by separate organisations are focussing on that issue. This morning at the Biltmore Plaza the National AIDS Commission and Pan American Health Organization opened a two-day seminar examining the human […]
Whether it’s a botched operation, crumbling infrastructure or political interference, the nation’s largest medical facility often seems like the place we love to hate. But like a trusty Timex watch, as much as the K.H.M.H. takes a licking, it somehow keeps on ticking. Today I witnessed some new efforts to do better. Jacqueline Godwin, Reporting […]
The Belize Medical and Dental Association is holding its twenty-fifth congress at the Radisson. This year, along with the usual seminars and pitches by pharmaceutical companies, the doctors are looking at some controversial issues. Jacqueline Godwin, Reporting It may have been in the works for five years but finally medical doctors practicing in Belize will […]
The use of condoms has always been a key factor in efforts to combat H.I.V. and AIDS, but getting people to use the devices is not as easy as you’d think. Norman Garcia, Country Manager, PASMO “Abstinence first and then if you know that it is going to happen then please go ahead and get […]
Mental Health Week officially ended today with the opening of a health day care centre. As News Five’s Marion Ali reports, the new facility will offer a range of psychiatric services to the public. Marion Ali, Reporting According to the local experts, of the almost three thousand patients who required psychiatric treatment last year approximately […]
With only three hundred and sixty-five days in the year the calendar is increasingly crowded for organisations wanting the public’s attention focussed on their cause. We don’t know how they manage, but with Thursday designated as World Blind Day and Friday being observed as World Food Day, Mental Health Week, which opened last Thursday, is […]
While most people believe violence, AIDS-related illnesses and road accidents are the top three causes of death in Belize, the fact is that heart disease is the number one killer. News Five’s Jacqueline Godwin has the disturbing details. Jacqueline Godwin, Reporting There are no national statistics available on exactly how many Belizeans are living with […]
We are more used to cashing their cheques than benefiting from their physical presence, but the critical assistance that Belize receives from Taiwan is more than just financial. News Five’s Marion Ali reports from the Corozal District. Marion Ali, Reporting Although it passed almost a month ago, Hurricane Dean has left its mark in Belize […]
The statistics on HIV and AIDS for the second quarter of 2007 have been released and they do not make for happy reading. According to the report issued by the Ministry of Health there were one hundred and thirty-seven new cases of HIV infection recorded from April through June. This compares to seventy in the […]
Another side of the HIV equation, that of treatment for those infected also has its downside. It seems that while antiretroviral medication is available, it is not necessarily being used properly. Dr. Pedro Arriaga, Internist K.H.M.H. “We try to be as realistic as possible, we were not expecting hundred percent improvement. Some of the patients […]
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 […]
They come so often and so regularly that we are in danger of taking then for granted. But trust me, the scores of Belizean children who have been treated by these visiting doctors and nurses will not soon forget their important intervention. Kendra Griffith, Reporting “Today, children of all shapes and sizes gathered with their […]
And while those board members strive to do the right thing, their skills will be tested by the financial pressures of the expanded National Health Insurance. N.H.I. rolls out nationwide in January and that will cost money. And while politicians can make promises, ultimately someone has got to write a cheque. Doctor Ramon Figueroa is […]
This morning officials of the Ministry of Health, the Belize Cancer Society, and a team of medical practitioners from several universities in the U.S. began a one week campaign to help Belizean women defeat a disease that, with early detection, need not be fatal. News Five’s Marion Ali has the story. Marion Ali, Reporting Worldwide, […]
On last night’s newscast we spoke to Minister of Health Jose Coye and learned that the nation’s expanded National Health Insurance coverage would be financed by the Ministry of Health, Social Security and the about-to-be-created Petroleum Fund. We also asked for an update on the situation with Universal Health Services. Coye said that two foreign […]
If you live in Toledo, Stann Creek or the southern half of the Belize District you would have already experienced the joys—and frustrations—of National Health Insurance. Well, at the end of this month, N.H.I. will roll out on Belize City’s northside, San Pedro, and Caye Caulker, and by the end of the year will go […]
And fortunately this morning there was a politician nearby, in the form of Minister of Health—and Caribbean Shores Representative—Jose Coye. Again, we asked the question: what is the cost of N.H.I.? The answer, much to our surprise, led straight to the oil fields of Spanish Lookout. Jose Coye, Minister of Health “Before I get into […]
It’s no secret that a powerful weapon in the war against HIV is testing. And while more Belizeans than ever are getting tested, the numbers still fall short of what health officials would like to see. Today they tried to do something about it. News Five’s Kendra Griffith reports. Kendra Griffith, Reporting The National Health […]
Get tested, stick to one partner, practice safe sex: those are only some of the messages that health experts keep reiterating to the public in an effort to reduce the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections. And today, the first phase of a project was implemented which will help people with at least one of those […]
Dengue: Just the sound of the word is enough to cause pain. Ask anyone who’s had it and they’ll tell you that the disease’s other name—breakbone fever—is an accurate description of how it feels. And while the current weather conditions make dengue in Belize more likely, some simple precautions can save a lot of trouble. […]
Tonight a retired school teacher is asking for the public’s assistance. According to forty six year old Carla Slusher, in 2005 she was forced to quit her twenty-seven year career because of her worsening diabetes. But earlier this year the mother of five took another medical hit when she was diagnosed with coronary artery disease, […]
If you’ve ever been hospitalised you know all too well the vital importance of the nursing profession. This week the organisation that represents the Caribbean’s thousands of nurses is meeting in Belize … and as I found out this morning, there’s plenty to talk about. Jacqueline Godwin, Reporting In the past two years the number […]
In news from the capital city, construction crews continue to improve the appearance and integrity of the buildings that make up the Western Regional Hospital. According to a release issued by the Press Office, official handing over ceremonies of the refurbished maternity ward took place this morning. The unit now has a fresh coat of […]
