When medicine and politics mix...

What do Medicine and Politics have in common? According to Patty Arceo and Dr. Giovanni Solorzano: a lot. Both were speakers at AGUSM (American Global University School of Medicine) on Friday, February 25th, 2011. Students have a variety of courses to take during the week, but on Fridays they get to listen to invited guests that, more often than not, can guide them and answer some burning questions.
Patty Arceo, former minister under the PUP administration, spoke at length of the many programs within the Ministry of Health that are geared towards the improvement of health care in Belize. According to Arceo, Belize’s health care is sub-standard, more on par with other Central American countries than within UN standards. Even with approximately 200 volunteer doctors and health care specialists who come from Cuba, the fact that they only have the basic equipment means that any help they render is limited.While for many in the modern world medicine is something that is natural to turn to, and education has taught us to go to our doctors for advice and help, Arceo stated that for much of the population, cultural taboos mean that not all will seek help. She used the example of the cultural differences of the Maya, especially in the southern region of Belize. While for many, having children at the age of 11 or 12 is unfathomable, due to differences in culture, that age is not too young for a Mayan girl to start a family. However, with education, that mindset has slowly been changing.
There is a lot that needs to happen for these changes to move forward at as fast a pace as our population seems to be growing. Legislations, creating a bill of rights for all three involved, patient, doctor and institution, is where politics comes into play. Arceo also mentioned the fact that the changing of administration sometimes means that programs get cut halfway, or do not receive the same kind of support as with previous administrations. Studies that take up to 10 years to complete are in jeopardy, and in the process, so is health, when the Ministry of Health’s key players change.
Dr. Giovanni Solorzano, Deputy Director at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH), is also a quality assurance physician, and he also presented his views to the gathered students. Quality assurance, according to Solorzano, is relatively new to Belize – but has become very important as there is a definite need for accountability, especially with the number of physicians who immigrate to Belize. Having a cohesive plan of action provides standards that all doctors must adhere to.
Solorzano also stated that up to 1999, healthcare was free. Then National Health Insurance (NHI) came into effect, based on recommendations by the Inter-Development Bank (IDB) and World Health Organization (WHO). However, despite being in existence for over 10 years, NHI still only serves about 1/3 of the entire population of Belize – with most of the beneficiaries being from the Southern districts and Southside Belize.
NHI was originally scheduled to cover all Belizeans, having been implemented by the PUP administration. After the changing of government, NHI was stopped, due to lack of funds. The only way that NHI is running is through the usage of Belize’s National Social Security funds. Government only allocated around 4.5% of the national budget to healthcare, and the issue is finding money to provide proper healthcare to ALL Belizeans. Solorzano then laid out some suggestions for funding, maintaining that above all, government needs to work with the medical professionals to streamline the system, providing more of what the population needs, and less of what it doesn’t.
As director of the KHMH, Solorzano is well aware of the need for funding for national healthcare. In order to provide proper service via the national hospital, $23million is needed to run KHMH. Only $18million is provided by the government. Ultimately, those that suffer are the patients. While there is a lot to be desired in the Belize healthcare system, in particular when it comes to Maternal Health and Early Childcare, Diabetes, and Emergency healthcare, there is still a lot of progress. Education campaigns for cleanliness, HIV/AIDS education, as well as Mental Health awareness have brought many people and volunteer groups together to help provide a service.
For those who plan on becoming doctors, including those at AGUSM, there is a lot to be learned about medicine and politics, and educating oneself early on makes for a better transition.

"Gift of Life" Program offers free Cardio Clinic at KHMH

Tertiary level care in Belize has become available only over the past years, and only to a limited extent. Open-heart surgery, especially pediatric open-heart surgery is one of such care that has not yet become available, and even if it was, the larger portion of the population of Belize would not be able to afford such a surgery.
“Gift of Life Belize” is a program that works with its partners to identify patients, doctors, and the facilities that are willing to accept these cases at a nominal fee, and is sheltered under the umbrella of the International Rotary Club.
Dr. Genevieve Lee-Dickson, eco-cardiographer is visiting from Orlando Florida. She is part of a group of specialists working with the Gift of Life Program in Belize, providing a full service Cardiac Clinic at the Karl Heushner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) on Tuesday August 18th, and Wednesday August 19th for a half day or until the last patient is seen. The team includes a physician, pediatric cardiologist from Tampa, nurse practitioner from Tampa and a group from the Rotary Club along with other local volunteers. In the states, Dr. Lee-Dickson works in pediatrics for adults or featuses with congenital heart defects. She came to Belize for the first time about five years ago as an Ecotech, with a group that did medical volunteer work here in the country.
As part of the team, Dr. Lee-Dickson is responsible for performing eco-cardiograms (Ultrasound of the Heart) on patients. She looks at the heart, blow flow – direction and speed, defects that children may be born with. Through the tests, the group of specialist is able to identify conditions such as Rheumatic Fever which she mentions, is a little prevalent here in Belize, heart defects and or children with an acquired heart defect.
This group of specialists visit the country every August, a second group visits in February of every year to hold the clinic. Last year, during their clinic, 70 patients were seen, Dr. Lee-Dickson performed echocardiograms on 40 patients and identified 12 patients that needed surgery. Through the efforts of the Rotary Club, all 12 patients received surgeries and are presently doing well.
The Rotary Club of Belize, under the Gift of Life program facilitate the surgery, travel - including passports, visas and airfare and ensure that their partners have established boarding and lodging for each of the young patients and the accompanying parent or guardian once patient is identified and a hospital has accepted the case. Presently they are working with hospitals in the United States as well as the Surgical Center in Guatemala for these surgeries.
This year Dr. Lee-Dickson and her family decided to come a week early and visited San Pedro where they stayed at the White Sands Resort and enjoyed the warm service of the staff there, did some site seeing and snorkeling along our lush Barrier Reef. She commented that her “love for Belize and the kindness of the people in Belize”- keeps her coming back.