UNICEF Commends Belize’s Community Health Efforts

Health & Nutrition Specialist UNICEF, Sola Oladeji says Belize is doing well in community health compared to other countries in the region. The Government announced that free healthcare services will be provided for most hospitals in the country in an effort to achieve universal health coverage. Oladeji Commends the effort of the government by tackling the primary healthcare centers first before patients need the intervention of the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. 

Sola Oladeji, Health and Nutrition Specialist, UNICEF: “No I feel what we are trying to do is the most important thing is to see how do you strengthen primary healthcare ? 70% of health issues can actually be addressed at primary care level. If you can strengthen the promotion of services, preventive services, immunization, health education, issues like that we can actually address more than 70% of cases. So it’s only difficult cases that require maybe higher intervention that we come here to KHMH  or the hospital. So I think what Unicef is trying to do with the government is to strengthen the primary healthcare. Because with primary healthcare we need to ensure that everybody in the community will be able to access services. Another thing I feel the Government of Belize has done very well is the issue of community health. I’m sure you know for a long time the community health workers are being paid a hundred Belize dollars but the last three or four months the Government of Belize has actually increased the amount they’re being paid from a hundred dollars to five hundred Belize dollars this is a major impact. It’s a great achievement. When I look at other countries in the region Belize is doing quite well in community health and that’s one of the reasons why Unicef we actually support here for the government to strengthen community intervention. A strong community health system, a strong primary health system I can assure you Belize is on the way of achieving universal coverage and SDG three.”

The specialist added that UNICEF plans to support the government of Belize to provide an excellence center for newborn care.