Sixty-Eight Belizean Med Students Secure Health Scholarships

Belize is putting millions behind a plan to build a stronger healthcare workforce from the ground up. Sixty-eight students pursuing careers in nursing, medicine, mental health, biomedical engineering and other critical fields will receive scholarships through a two-point-five-million-dollar initiative. The Ministries of Health and Education are partnering with the Inter-American Development Bank to fund the program. Health Minister Kevin Bernard says the investment will ease the financial burden on students while creating a steady pipeline of trained professionals ready to serve communities across Belize.

 

Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health & Wellness

“In April of 2025 the government approved a thirty million training package, and this specific scholarship program that we are providing is part of that. Where we are seeking to ensure that we’re developing our healthcare system, but our healthcare professionals, and if you notice this year along with last year, we’ve been expanding in terms of apart from just nursing, we’re looking in other critical areas that the, the country needs in terms of advancing the capacity in our health system. And that’s the reason why you see now we have people getting scholarships in biomedical engineering. We have more people going out to do specialization. And this, this awards scholarship today highlights really  the ones that we highlighted, but there are other areas that we have been pushing. For example, we have people right now being specialized in other parts of the, the world. In Taiwan we have some coming back from Cuba. But to highlight on what we’re doing, two point five million dollars being investing in our people both in nursing nursing administration in-biomedical engineering in the school of medicine for, for them to have their doctor degree. It shows a commitment.”

 

Amani Morgan, Scholarship Recipient

“My mom’s a nurse so she’s a huge inspiration for me and while I was sitting down I almost wanted to cry because I’m so grateful to have someone to look up to in that aspect.”

 

In return for the scholarships, recipients must work with the ministry after graduation.

 

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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