Since the Friends of Paediatrics was established in 1998, more than one hundred children in Belize have been identified with various heart problems. Almost fifty of the young patients have already received surgery while the other children have been put on a waiting list. Friends of Paediatrics is a non-governmental organisation that provides specialised medical […]
Today, a series of events focussing on health practices and the diseases affecting us as a people were held at hospitals and health centres countrywide. And while we couldn’t attend all the activities, this morning News 5’s Ann-Marie Williams went to check out what was happening at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. Ann-Marie Williams, Reporting […]
This Friday, Belize joins countries across the world in celebrating World Health Day, under the theme “Move for Health”. In an effort to promote better health practices in Belize, the Ministry of Health is staging a national media and public open day on Friday, at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital from eleven in the morning. […]
Today is World Tuberculosis Day, and it brings into focus a country like Belize where the high rate of TB is of growing concern. Since 1995 we’ve had an average of ninety to one hundred cases per year, mostly in adults over fifty years old, with malnutrition, chronic respiratory conditions or HIV. According to the […]
The murky future of National Health Insurance is beginning to clear up. A release by the Social Security Board indicates that the N.H.I. southside pilot project has been extended through September. However, due to cost considerations it will be modified. While basic primary care will remain free of charge, other hospital and pharmaceutical services will […]
One of the most anticipated aspects of the budget was the future of National Health Insurance. While the Prime Minister has always been N.H.I.’s greatest champion, his two-year attempt at radical health care reform fared no better than Hillary Clinton’s. Despite this morning’s rhetoric, it now seems that N.H.I. is dead on arrival. Prime Minister […]
For Belizean health care providers, today’s announcement that N.H.I. will be put into a coma, is a serious blow. Many doctors-turned-businessmen borrowed large amounts of money to expand their facilities and services, in anticipation of the countrywide health care plan. But according to Dr. Victor Lizarraga of Universal Health Services, the real losers will be […]
Various players in the drama called N.H.I. continue to press their case on the eve of government’s annual budget presentation. Edgy over rumours in the media that government was looking to finance the National Health Insurance scheme through an increase in sales and business taxes, the Chamber of Commerce today weighed in with a concerned […]
On Tuesday, officials from the Public Service Union dropped a bombshell by announcing that according to their sources, the National Health Insurance scheme will be implemented as early as April first. But tonight, government officials tell News 5 that’s not so. According to Cabinet Secretary Robert Leslie, government is still in the process of analysing […]
Returning from a major international conference were Minister of Human Development Dolores Balderamos Garcia and Martha Carrillo of the National AIDS Commission. The two women attended a special forum on AIDS sponsored by the Interamerican Development bank held in Fortaleza, Brazil. Recognising the immense threat of the disease to the region’s development, Garcia and Carillo […]
The reports on HIV/AIDS infections for Belizeans between October and December are out, and as usual, the numbers are both frightening and depressing. According to the survey, ninety-three more Belizeans have tested positive with the deadly disease. The breakdown is as follows: there were seventy-seven new infections in Belize City alone, four in Orange Walk, […]
Since the Belize City Council established a Sister City relationship with New Orleans two years ago, CITCO has received around two million dollars worth of medical supplies and treatment from that city’s International Hospital for Children. On Wednesday, through the efforts of Belize’s Honorary Consul in Louisiana, Jean Benard, I.H.C. sent another shipment of medicines […]
For many Belizeans, this next story is literally a matter of life or death. When a person’s two kidneys fail, a dialysis machine must cleanse the blood on a regular basis. Belize has never had such a machine, so every week several dangerously ill patients are forced to travel to either Mexico or Guatemala for […]
His birth defect has not allowed him to fully participate in school activities or even play with friends. But Noel Young of Amara Avenue in Belize City has reasons to celebrate. Later this month, he will be leaving the country to receive medical care that will allow him for the very first time to do […]
Even though there thousands of Belizeans living with HIV/AIDS, only a few hundred are aware of their condition. These people can tell you that treatment for this deadly disease is not close to where it should be in Belize. Well today, the Japanese government made a donation to G.O.B. that will make a significant impact […]
It was hailed and lampooned, lionised and criticised. It seemed that everybody had a strong opinion on N.H.I. …at least until the pilot health care project was finally inaugurated in August. Since then, it’s almost as if those three weighty letters have been purged from the alphabet…at least until today, when News 5’s Ann-Marie Williams […]
Some people would like to believe that HIV/AIDS would not be a problem in Belize if not for the high level of immigration from neighbouring countries such as Honduras and Guatemala. While Belizeans may be slow to admit that the problem starts at home, there is some impact felt from the migration of people in […]
To put it mildly, mental health patients have always been misunderstood and readily dismissed by most of the Belizean society. This weekend, the Mental Health Association invites you to their first Mental Health “Lift Off” fair on Saturday. Through the event, the association hopes to publicise an area of the health care system that they […]
Today, one Belizean was infected by HIV. Was it you? Do you care? That is the startling new reality in our country and even more shocking is that most infected persons don’t know about their status until it’s too late. It is within that context that the theme for National AIDS Week is “I care…do […]
When authorities discovered shelves stocked with expired goods and a serious rodent problem at Xtra House last week, the Public Health Bureau promptly shut down the popular supermarket. Eager to get back in business, today, the store’s owners, flanked by self-proclaimed faithful customers protested the decision to delay the store’s re-opening until later this week. […]
The sign may read, “Closed for Renovations”, but the management and staff at Xtra House are rearranging more than just the furniture. The store’s owner, Rajesh Chawla, was ordered to close down the establishment until he complies with certain health requirements. The decision was made by the Belize Trade Licensing Board in consultation with the […]
Most official crackdowns in Belize last about as long as free food at a press conference…but at least one government department seems to be defying that trend. Today health inspectors were back in action at a familiar address in Belize City…and so was News 5. Jacqueline Woods, Reporting The entire staff of the Public Health […]
One new case of HIV is diagnosed everyday…no that’s not the situation in an African country, that’s the scary scene right here in Belize. According to the National Aids Commission, the latest statistics show that everyday one Belizean tests positive for the deadly disease. The commission is calling for the community’s heightened awareness of the […]
Today is World Diabetes Day and with perhaps as many as twenty percent of the population affected by the disease, Belizeans would do well to take notice. This afternoon a new diabetes centre was opened in Belize City and News 5’s Jacqueline Woods was there. Beth McBride, President, B.D.A. “To have a building we can […]
If you’re just finishing off dinner and contemplating dessert, here’s some food for thought. It is now estimated that as much as fifty thousand Belizeans have diabetes and most of them don’t even know it. This Wednesday has been slated as World Diabetes Day and the Belize Diabetes Association is getting a head start on […]
