Bauer Pushes Medical Training Opportunities for Belizeans

Could partnerships with the United States help Belize train more of its own doctors and nurses? That possibility is emerging as the government considers the future of the Cuban Medical Brigade and its role in the country’s healthcare system. Newly appointed U.S. Ambassador Andre Bauer says his priority is helping Belize develop a stronger local healthcare workforce. When asked today whether the United States is satisfied with Belize’s medical brigade program, Bauer said he had no update on Washington’s position. Instead, he pointed to possible training opportunities in the United States that could give more Belizeans the skills needed to serve as doctors and nurses at home.

 

Andre Bauer, U.S. Ambassador to Belize

“You know, I haven’t been in talks with where they’re at on their at and the end of the day, I wanna make sure Belizeans have good healthcare. And if I can do things to help facilitate sending Belizeans to American hospitals and educating them, I actually have a suggestion that I wanna talk to the State Department about, about trying to create more opportunities for, for people here that wanna be nurses and doctors, and people that are in the United States that wanna come here and be a part of Belize and do  some of their, their medicine here is what I want to try to facilitate. So I’d like to do more that we can to make sure Belizeans can be the doctors and the nurses, and we don’t have to worry about folks from other countries taking care of Belizeans.”

 

Foreign Affairs Minister Francis Fonseca says officials will present Cabinet with options for the Cuban Medical Brigade this month, including a possible phase-out.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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