After Uproar and Delays, Contractors Line Up for University Hospital

After months of silence, the controversial Saudi-funded university hospital in Belmopan is moving again. The project sparked fierce backlash in 2024 when government ditched plans to build on UB land and instead bought fifteen acres of private property for nearly seven million dollars, drawing criticism from unions, the opposition, and UB’s own board. Since signing a multimillion-dollar design contract with a Saudi firm in late 2024, updates were scarce. Now, Health Minister Kevin Bernard says the project has entered a new phase, with international contractors already bidding to build the long-promised regional teaching hospital.

 

Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health and Wellness

“That is in process. I can tell you from the information I got just last week the Saudis the tender has gone out. I know that I think it was last week, or I’m not sure if this week or last week, that the tenders have gone out for the construction. As the this is managed through the Saudi fund. And there were two international bidders, I am told, that was, How do you call it in that tendering process? They call– Where they pick the most– the best two. And so those are the two that were put out to a contract for tend– for tendering, and then they have to bid for the construction of the hospital. So we are on target as well. I know it may have taken quite a time, but sometimes when you deal with these international agencies, some– it, it do take a process. And so– But again, that’s another major milestone that we want. We want to see pretty soon groundbreaking of that facility, something that will also be beneficial to the people of Belize, especially in the region where we want – it intend to serve the north, sorry, the west and the south as a regional facility and a teaching hospital.”

 

Bernard says feasibility studies are also currently underway for new hospitals to replace the Northern Regional and Punta Gorda Community Hospitals. 

 

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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