By Benjamin Flowers
The Ministry of Health has publicly denounced media reports that it has lost access to funding from the European Union for upgrades to the Western Regional Hospital.
The Ministry, addressing reports made on December 12, noted that GOB is still getting funds from the EU for health sector development; however, the focus has been expanded beyond the initial project proposal, which saw the majority of the funds being used for a 50-bed addition to the WRH.
The project’s new direction will see the upgrading of Health facilities to meet SMART and ‘Green’ standards. This new focus would ensure that health facilities, including Regional Hospitals and the Central Medical Laboratory, would be upgraded to withstand natural disasters, be more energy efficient, and meet safety criteria for patients and medical staff. Other components of this Health Sector initiative would also include upgrading of the Health Information System, and Strengthening of Organization and Management of Health Services.
Chief Executive Officer of the MOH, Dr Ramon Figueroa, explained that the ministry decided to address the inaccurate report, to ensure that there is no damage caused to Belize’s relationship with the EU.
“They said we’d lost the funds because we did not have certain thing prepared, and that’s just not true. We are still getting those funds, it is just going to benefit the entire health system, instead of the majority being for Western Regional.” Figueroa said.
He added that the ministry s still committed to upgrading the WRH and will find funds from other sources to do so.
