Earlier this year we told you about a proposal the government of Belize
received from the World Organization of Renal Therapies – WORTH. Their
offer was to provide the Ministry of Health with 8 haemodialysis machines. The
plan was to establish dialysis units at both the KHMH in Belize City and La
Loma Luz in Cayo. The news was that dialysis treatments which now cost $500
per session would only cost $8 per session at the units.
So, for patients who require 3 treatments weekly – it would be
$24 a week versus $1500 a week. And so for the patients not on government’s
list of 20 patients whose treatments it pays – the units would be a godsend.
But it’s been easier said than done and now the Belize Advocacy for Renal
Therapy says the program is in jeopardy because government has failed to live
up its part of the agreement. A memorandum of understanding has been drafted
but BART’s President Jose Cruz says WORTH has withdrawn the offer because
government has missed multiple deadlines.
Jose Cruz, BART President
“It is really important. The comparison is not there. You are talking
about $680 for one patient for a session as opposed to $8 per session. It is
without question. We should have jumped at this a long time ago. I don’t
even want to speculate on what the reasons would be. I just think it is total
nonsense and ignorance on their part for them not to jump on something like
this. I don’t even want to think about it because it is not about. It
is about people, it is about everybody, it is about the country and I am at
a point now that I am asking myself, I am asking the Belizean people do you
want it. It is up to them. Do they want to go ahead and pay Belize Healthcare
Partners out of their tax money for the rest of the time or do they want to
have the opportunity if they get like me to walk in a center and be able to
pay $8 and get a treatment.”
Ministry of Health officials did meet with representatives from BART
yesterday. Director of Health Services Michael Pitts told the Amandala that
government is interested in the program but they are working out the logistics.
In its email to government, WORTH says it plans to go ahead with setting up
the unit at La Loma Luz. The cost there isn’t expected to be $8 per session
since La Loma Luz is a private hospital. We’ll keep following the story.
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