7 News Belize

PM Drops The Bomb On The Ministry of Health
posted (August 1, 2019)
Last night we told you about that letter from the Financial Secretary's Office to the CEO in the Ministry of Health.

Senior Finance Officer Artemio Osorio tells the Health CEO, George Gough that the Ministry of Finance has "no objection" to the award of a 1.68 million dollar contract for the construction of a Central Medical Stores Building in Belmopan.

What caught everyone's attention is the final paragraph, which says, quote, "funds to cover this expenditure will be obtained from a grant from the National Health Insurance Fund Reserve managed by the Belize Social Security Board." End quote.

And that's the key phrase, "managed by the Belize Social Security Board" - because sources inside Social Security Board say that they don't know what the Ministry of Finance is talking about since the reserve fund is managed exclusively by Social Security.

The letter from Osorio is following up on an initial request which came to Finance from the Ministry of Health to use those funds - even though CEO Gough - who recently came over from the NHI program - knows that fund is managed strictly by Social Security, not Finance.

Social Security's reserve NHI fund is being looked at because it currently has a surplus - but Social Security higher up's are saying this proposal has never been presented to the board. And with this kind of adverse attention, we get the feeling it won't be presented at all.

The Leader of the Opposition has also weighed in. In a letter to the Prime Minister, he says, quote, "NHI funds can only be used for NHI services and/or NHI related expenses. The construction of this building does not…fall under any of these. Moreover, the Belize Social Security Board does not have the statutory authority to use these funds in this way, and if allowed would be in contravention of the legislation."

The Prime Minister and Minister of Finance sent an unusually prompt response this evening. It stresses, quote, "Finance wished to make clear that the Ministry of Finance would not itself be allocating any building funds, and that there would be no comeback on this from the Ministry of Health. How the Ministry of Health expected to persuade the Belize Social Security Board to vote the monies out of the NHI Reserve, which BSSB manages, was always a matter for the Ministry of Health." End quote.

And then the PM drops the bomb on the Ministry of Health, he writes, quote, "in my view, and especially in the current circumstances, MOH ought not to make any such application."

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