Prime Minister advocates for $90 million loan from Saudi Arabia for state-of-the-art hospital in Belmopan

Published by [email protected] at May 20, 2023

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Posted: Saturday, May 20, 2023. 7:44 am CST.

By Breaking Belize News Staff: During yesterday’s House of Representatives session, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, John Briceno, proposed a motion to secure a US$45 million loan (90 million Belize dollars) from the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This request comes through the Saudi Fund for Development, following the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries last year. The funds are intended for the construction of a new tertiary-level hospital on the University of Belize’s campus in Belmopan, envisioned as a university hospital.

Briceno justified the need for a new health facility, stating that the current Belmopan Hospital and KHMH do not meet the required standards. He further expressed that the Belmopan Hospital was beyond repair.

However, the proposed loan has faced opposition. The Leader of the Opposition, Moses “Shyne” Barrow, and his United Democratic Party (UDP), criticized the plan to build a new facility while many existing health centers remain in substandard conditions and lack necessary resources.

Barrow voiced his concern about the state of public health facilities and asserted the need for healthcare as a basic human right for every Belizean. He mentioned the absence of essential medical equipment, such as CT scan and MRI machines in public health hospitals, and questioned the strategy of borrowing US$45 million not to revamp the ailing healthcare system, but rather to construct a new building.

Barrow challenged the lack of detailed plans for how the borrowed money would be spent and whether it included the cost of necessary equipment and staffing.

The opposition leader suggested that the borrowed funds should be used to improve the entire public healthcare system, recommending that the amount should be distributed to all four regions in Belize.

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