NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE (NHI) STILLBORN

Before being born baby NHI has died!

Last week, on August 13^th, 2010 to be more specific, the Private Hospitals who supply delivery services to the NHI for expecting mothers of the South-side Belize City got a Memo from the Social Security Board/NHI informing them, that in accordance to contract they were  being given ninety days notice before these services would no longer be required .  The effective date for the termination of delivery services is November 12, 2010.

This alarming announcement is sending red flags all over Belize City among suppliers of services to the NHI. Suppliers of services to the NHI are wondering if this is the beginning of the dismemberment of the NHI. When we contacted one of the owners of a Pharmacy, she said it is very disturbing what is happening. After all the investment these suppliers have done to service the NHI, the last thing they need is to have their contracts ended.

Suppliers: pharmacies, labs, clinics, etc are all nervous with this announcement as this augurs bad for their businesses. This, they say, will affect their ability to keep personnel employed and will affect the viability of the businesses.  However, we wonder here at the Belize Times what will the patients and residents of the south-side say when they learn about this decision. What will our expecting mothers of Belize south-side say when they learn that they will no longer be able to access the services at the private hospitals?

This means that expecting mothers of the South-side Belize City, who could access delivery services from Private Medical Institutions like Belize Medical Associates and Belize Health Partners, while paying only a small co-payment, will no longer be able to do so.  Effective November 12, delivery services through the NHI will cease!  You will have to go to the Karl Huesner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) says the memo and pay the current rates. When the PUP envisioned the NHI it was always with the idea of increasing services and expanding the coverage.

Another e-mail sent out to the Primary Health Care Providers (PCPS) on the same date and by the same person informed these health care providers that referrals should no longer be made to the Private Hospital for deliveries as monies were being re-allocated to address the Nutritional problems facing the Southern region of the country. Reliable sources tell us that the NHI is mandated by Government to now give micro-nutrients through the NHI clinics to those persons with Marasmus in the Southern region of the country.  Because of this the NHI can no longer afford to pay for the deliveries for our mothers in the south-side Belize City.

Some months ago we published an article here at the Belize Times titled “MARASMUS (Lack of Food) IN BELIZE” in which we reported on the serious health/social issue affecting our brothers and sisters of the South. This health condition is known in medical terms as Nutritional Marasmus and is caused by a severe deficiency of both protein and calories. In other words it is a lack of food. The symptoms are growth retardation, muscle wasting, impaired immunity, delayed wound healing, lethargy, vomiting and loss of fat stores. As with most nutritional problems, Marasmus affects mostly children and young adults.

While we have no problem with the reallocation of monies to assist our brothers and sisters of the south, it is the inefficiency and how it is done that annoys us. Marasmus is essentially a result of or an indication of poverty and unemployment. People in the south, it has been shown through statistics, are the poorest of the poor in our country. It is where unemployment is at its highest and the access to social services the worst. Well then, it should not come as a surprise to know then that our brothers and sisters in the south are starving….diagnosis is saying Nutritional Marasmus.

Now our Government is proposing to give micronutrients to our children in the south for a period of two years.  Giving “Sprinkles”, “Plumpy Nuts” and “Vitacereal” for a period of two years through our NHI Clinics is not going to address a problem that needs long term and sustainable solutions. Anyone with some sense knows that a little program of two years will not alleviate anybody’s mal nutrition problem. What is happening is that the Government is now using the NHI monies to make a big bally hoo about trying to solve the hunger of our fellow Belizeans down south. We all know that to alleviate poverty (the root cause) and thence hunger and malnutrition what we need is economic activity….employment ….jobs!

The promotion of economic activity and the answer to severe unemployment is the responsibility of Central Government. This is something that the inept bunch in Belmopan should be addressing through the creation of an investment friendly environment where both local and foreign investors will feel confident to do business and employ our Belizeans. Instead what we see them ding is gloating on the failures of businesses without even realizing that every time a business door closes its one more person out of a job and one more family with less to eat.

By ceasing to offer delivery services to our mothers in the south side of Belize City what we are in effect saying is that NHI will not take care of the birth of our children anymore but it will now take care of feeding those who already were born but are starving. That is not the function of NHI. Feeding people cannot even be classified as preventive medicine which is a focus of the NHI. To put the icing on the cake, reliable sources are telling us that our people down south will be given Vitacereal that comes from Guatemala! We are wondering, here that the Belize Times, who is going to importing these “micro-nutrients” and Vitacereal from our neighbours.  We know of a very powerful family who resides in our border town with Guatemala and who is close to those in the higher-ups in Belmopan.

A street vendor who sells tacos near the Integral Clinic on the south side when asked about this issue he questioned “what those powerful politicians and Ministers of the South-side of Belize City will do about this decision”.

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