Last week Wednesday, the Government of Belize announced that Dr. George Gough had been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer for the Ministry of Health.
He is in the process of taking over from the former CEO, Dr. Ramon Figueroa, whose exit wasn't even mentioned in the Government's press release announcing the change.
Indeed it was an abrupt change - and the press wondered why the sudden shift in CEO, given that only a few weeks earlier, Health Minister Pablo Marin and his former Minister of State, Dr. Angel Campos, also parted ways.
When our colleagues from Plus TV News caught up with Marin this morning at another event, they asked the Minister straight-up if he and former CEO Figueroa had a strained working relationship.
He said that's the furthest thing from the truth. He also added that Dr. Figueroa's new role will be involved with the expansion of the National Health Insurance program:
Reporter
"Is there any bad blood between you and Mr. Figueroa and was that the motivation behind his transfer?"
Hon. Pablo Marin, Minister of Health
"We will always hear rumours which are always false until you come and discuss and even though you mentioned to the public what you are doing they still take it on the wrong side. With my past CEO Figueroa and Dr. Goff - that the change was made in a time that is very essential for us. NHI is still under me. So if there was bad blood you would see something else, but right now we are getting some funds from PAHO which is for us to an analysis of how we can expand the NHI and how we are going to continue our health reform and Dr. Figueroa has been there for a long time under the NHI. So he knows the ins and out, so we are just crossing over one to the next and Dr. Goff who has been just recently appointed about 3 years, I think it was the right thing for us to do those transfers and as right now as we speak Dr. Goff and Dr. Figueroa both of them are right in the office doing the transfers of notes from both areas NHI and the Ministry of Health."
Reporter
"So it's simply that Mr. Figueroa is the man for the job at this time?"
Hon. Pablo Marin
"Definitely, we have always believe that Dr. Figueroa has been essential in the contribution of the NHI."
Figueroa's departure had long been rumoured.
Dr. George Gough's was formerly the Chair of the National Health Insurance Committee so he and Figueroa basically swap places.
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