Leaked Assessment Recommends New Hospital Over KHMH Rebuild

Belize City’s growing healthcare needs may demand more than simply repairing the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. Government is exploring a new secondary-care facility while planning major improvements at KHMH, which continues to struggle with aging infrastructure. Health Minister Kevin Bernard says the goal is to expand the country’s healthcare capacity, not simply replace the national referral hospital. His comments follow renewed scrutiny of a leaked 2024 report that recommended constructing a new hospital instead of comprehensively rebuilding KHMH.

 

Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health and Wellness

“The issue of the Karl Heuston Memorial Hospital, everybody understands that while the facility’s an old facility, the government of Belize have already been discussing on ideas and ways on how we are going to address the issue of possible a new facility. But that will provide secondary care while we look at how we can strengthen KHMH to be able to provide tertiary care. Of course, the infrastructure, the physical infrastructure of KHMH needs to be looked at. And so it’s not about just saying we’re going to knock down KHMH and build a new tertiary. That’s the reason why the foresight was that we built a tertiary facility in Belmopan while we work on a new secondary care facility in Belize City, and hopefully that we continue to expand and work on a better tertiary facility in that KHMH provides. So at the end of the day, it’s long-term vision, it’s long-term planning. We have to look at all of these things. And so we are cognizant of the fact and in fact, on Thursday, I’m meeting with KHMH body to look at concerns and issues that are affecting KHMH. But we remain committed as a government. We remain committed to the healthcare of this nation, to the improved delivery of service for our people. And KHMH plays an important and critical role as Belize’s only tertiary public health institution.”

 

Government is eyeing a new hospital for Belize City. Bernard says officials are reviewing potential locations as they work to expand healthcare and take pressure off KHMH.

 

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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