Minister discusses health situation in Belize
Friday, July 2, 2004
WASHINGTON, USA (PAHO): With communicable
diseases increasingly under control in Belize, chronic diseases along with
problems linked to behavior and lifestyle remain significant, according to Dr.
Vildo Marin, minister of health and communications of Belize.
Speaking at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Thursday, Marin said
the major policies for the health sector include allocation of resources,
integrating the role of public and private sectors, quality and equity of
services and financing to address these issues. Of particular importance is
financing of National Health Insurance, which is being established under the
Social Security Board as a purchaser of Primary Health Care Services.
He cited several successes, noting that malaria cases dropped from 10,000 in
1993 to 1,000 in 2003, gastroenteritis cases in children declined due to
increased access to clean water, and the infant mortality rate shows a steady
decline. The leading causes of morbidity in
Belize include lifestyle problems such as hypertension, diabetes, violence,
abortion and suicide, along with cardiovascular diseases, nutritional
deficiencies and road traffic crashes. The leading cause of hospitalization is
complications in pregnancy. "Our modern lifestyles have created new patterns
of disease," Marin said. "We have become the victims of our own successes."
The minister also pointed to HIV/AIDS as an exception to the control of
communicable diseases, saying that the trend in an increase of infected
individuals is "troubling and worrisome." Although Belize initiated a campaign
for free antiretroviral therapy treatment, the stigma and discrimination
associated with AIDS patients remains a hindrance. Marin added that a massive
campaign to increase the use of voluntary counseling and testing centers has
been established to deal with these issues.
In the areas of HIV/AIDS and lifestyle related illnesses and deaths, the
minister emphasized Belize’s young population of which 61 percent is under 25.
Marin recommended the need for increased education and participation of the
public on the subject of health sector reform.
The minister also highlighted the importance of improving health inequities
and noted that Toledo, the poorest district of Belize also has the highest
infant mortality and growth retardation along with the lowest coverage of
water and sanitation. The government is seeking to improve this inequity by
opening up the district to trade and commerce through the creation of a
highway, and also hopes that providing National Health Insurance will lead to
successes. "We have everything in place to reach that goal of equity," he
said. According to Marin, Belize's vision of
health sector reform includes the "objective to improve equity, accessibility,
efficiency, sustainability" and engage "in effective partnerships with all
levels of the government in order to develop and maintain an environment
conducive to good health." The minister
emphasized his desire to work with PAHO and other international organizations
and countries to achieve this goal. "This objective cannot be done only by the
government of Belize," he said. "It can only be done if we work together."
The Pan American Health Organization, founded in 1902, works with all the
countries of the Americas to improve the health and quality of life of their
peoples. It also serves as the regional office of the World Health
Organization.
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