7 News Belize

KHMH Treating Cancer
posted (May 7, 2020)

Yesterday, the Social Security Board handed over a donation of 200 thousand dollars to the KHMH. That money will help to fund the completion of an oncology unit for the national referral hospital.

Hospital administrators say that there is an increasing number of Belizeans with cancer who have turned to them. That has prompted the need for this new unit, which will offer more specialized treatment.

The unit is much needed at this time because Belize’s borders remain closed to entry and exit due to the COVID-19 threat. So all of those patients who would have traveled abroad to get treatment, are stuck right now. 

Well, when the KHMH’s oncology unit is finished and fully operational, the hospital will be better equipped to cater to the needs of these patients.

This morning, we stopped by the KHMH CEO’s office to discuss the SSB donation:

Michelle Hoare - CEO, KHMHA
"The donation from the Social Security Board yesterday was specifically focused on supporting the completion of the oncology unit in terms of getting the furniture and the equipment that was needed to get the unit up and running. The Unit is in its infancy stage. We’ve just been - it’s not fully completed. We’ve been able to start the preparation of the unit. It’s a space that was utilized for another purpose, the old neonatal intensive care area. So, we’ve retrofitted the area to be able to allow for ambulatory care, chemotherapeutic services for adult patients. We’ve started the retrofitting from about late last year, and we’ve continued throughout, meaning that we’ve done the infrastructural work, and we started with the procurement of some equipment. SSB had pledged for a while now that they would have supported the retrofitting and establishment of the unit, and that promise materialized yesterday with the cheque that was handed over to us of $200,000."

"For some time now, we’ve been seeing patients diagnosed with cancer, right here at Karl Heusner, and there are different levels of management that were being done. Patients were being treated either surgically, medically. They would come to KHMH for the staging of their cancer. For the past 2 years or so, we’ve recruited an oncologist, Dr. Yacab. He has been with us, and he has been doing mostly specialist outpatient services for cancer patients, and some in-house referral for patients admitted with cancer. As the numbers started increasing and the need for other forms of management became more evident, there was a proposal that was put forward for us to consider administering chemotherapeutic treatments in a very safe environment. We all know that treating cancer, it has some risks involved, and it has some safety measures that need to be considered."

Dr. Ramon Yacab - Medical Oncologist, KHMH
"Cancer is an ever-growing problem. I think right now; it’s among the most frequent killers here in Belize. Up to last year’s statistical data. So, I think it’s really important now, with the donation from yesterday; we’re gonna be able to purchase and get the equipment necessary to get the oncology unit up and running."

The Oncology Unit is already offering some service to cancer patients at the hospital, but the unit’s remaining upgrades have been delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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