We heard Dr. Fernando Cuellar talk about the flaws in the healthcare industry. What he also spoke about was the shortage of medical supplies and equipment. He told Love News that the situation is not only experienced in KHMH, but also in regional public health facilities.
Dr Fernando Cuellar, Internist: “We have regional hospitals talking to my colleagues on a daily basis and there are a lot of gaps that are not being addressed properly, okay? That’s why we have to reorganize the whole health department from bottom to top or bottom to top where you want to call it to be more efficient. We only have four hundred thousand people in this country and things should get better. I have always seen over the past thirty years that the Department of Health is not at the top of the priority list when it comes to government departments. It’s always in between and they still share the health ministry with the person I don’t know – I know the finer points of politicians but we certainly need to do better than what we’ve been doing in the last twenty, thirty. years. years when it comes to health ministers and the structuring of the health ministry and I will also say that as I said earlier today it has to happen and the civil service has to realize that ‘She has to work so as not to cling to the public service regulations that have been enacted by the Queen because we are not going anywhere. We have to move forward, we have to change, we have to streamline these things to be more effective.
Finally, Dr Cuellar said that while he did not ask for Minister Chebat to resign, he would like to see the Minister resign.
Dr Fernando Cuellar, Internist: “I would like to give him some good advice to realize that damage is being done to him and he should say you know what my government PUP please let us rearrange this because we need to do it better.” I have heard that I am asking for his resignation, I am not asking for his resignation. I’m just saying everything has to change and I also blame the former CEOs and former DHS for not doing this and my coworkers for not going out publicly and saying things have to change, okay? And this commotion and this thing has to stop. I have been engaged with the Belize Medical and Dental Association and we have to be better. I don’t have one and I don’t think it’s my place to discuss with the Prime Minister, he has a lot of priorities to do, but we need the Ministry of Health to correct itself. I hope the Prime Minister realizes that there is a serious problem and sits down with everyone to solve it. “
