Prison CEO Says Staff Acted Quickly in Inmate’s Final Hours

The death of Belize Central Prison inmate Phillip Bowen has led to public concern over medical care behind bars. 

Bowen, an asthmatic patient awaiting trial for a 2020 double murder in Hopkins Village, died early Tuesday morning after suffering a severe attack.

Kolbe Foundation CEO Virgilio Murillo, who oversees prison operations, defended the staff’s response. “Around seven twenty a.m. I was told he began feeling bad. He requested medical attention and was rushed to the medical centre,” Murillo said. “He had his asthma pump available, but it was apparent that his asthma attack was too severe that even with the pump it was not adequate to help him.”

Murillo explained that Bowen was quickly referred to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH). “Within seven minutes he was placed in the ambulance at the prison, which is always on standby, and transported to the KHMH. He passed away en route,” he said.

The Kolbe CEO insisted there was no delay in treatment. “Based on what I have been told so far, it was very timely and there was no delay,” Murillo said, noting Bowen had nearly reached the medical centre before collapsing.

Bowen’s death had raised questions among his loved ones about the adequacy of medical care for inmates with known chronic conditions. Murillo, however, maintains the prison staff acted swiftly.