Union Opposes New Tertiary Hospital Plan, Citing Urgent Issues at Current Facility

The plan for a new tertiary hospital for Belmopan is facing opposition by the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Workers’ Union.  The ninety-million dollar facility which will be funding through a loan from Saudi Arabia, according to the union, comes at a bad time as the KHMH has issues that need urgent attention.  Among those issues is the human Resource shortage of fifty Nurses and twenty doctors.  The release sent out added that the, ‘KHMHA & Regional Hospitals have also been experiencing serious shortages of services such as Medical and Nursing services, physiotherapy, Bio-Medical Technicians, imaging services, Laboratory Technicians, Radiographers as well as many basic supplies and equipment that are currently impacting the quality and quantity of the health services in our country.’  With that statement, the union followed with the question, “Where will the technological and manpower required be found to man a new National Referral Hospital in Belmopan, considering the many issues we are facing at present, with the lack of supplies and equipment at the KHMHA and the Regional Hospitals throughout the country?”  We’ll have more on this in tomorrow’s newscast.