PSU Speaks Out Following Tragic Death of Elderly Man

The outrage over the death of ninety-two-year-old Eusebio Espinoza Senior at Northern Regional Hospital is growing, and now, another voice is weighing in. Public Service Union President Dean Flowers says the public needs to understand the harsh conditions under which Belizean healthcare workers operate. But he’s also demanding accountability, calling on the government to take responsibility for its role in this tragedy. So, is this a case of individual negligence, or a systemic failure?

 

Dean Flowers, President, Public Service Union

“The public officers aren’t to blame and I saw a lot of people attacking the public officers saying that it is their fault why this gentleman would’ve passed. But nobody has seemed to want to take the time out to understand that the public officers in the Ministry of Health, in our health sector are really and truly overwhelmed, overworked, and are really and truly drained. They’re drained not because of the twelve-hour shift that they have to do and sometime back-to-back sometime. In the case of the doctor, these doctors sometime have to work seven days straight on night shifts, something that should never be. These nurses at times have to do double shifts if there’s no coverage. To add to that, there is no supplies to equip them to do their work. I can tell you right now there is no syringes of a certain level syringe. Imagine syringes, weh cost fifty cents. There is no gauze for dressing, there is no medication. And when you do get the medication, it does not work. It does not do what it is supposed to do yet. We’re operating at a time when the budget of the Ministry of Health is true at the roof. Belizean people have been hoodwinked. We now have importers of pharmaceuticals who have never worked in this industry, but who are handling medications that they have no, no knowledge about. And then we are questioning why the medication noh the work, or in some cases why there is no medication, why there is no supplies yet. The MOHW has the biggest budget it has ever had in the history of this country. So I really want to ask for consideration of these nurses and these doctors. They’re not to blame.”