So what’s next? Well as Dr. Sosa said, he will be meeting with his membership between tonight and tomorrow to determine the next course of action. That will involve the nurses who met today and its president told us that the doctors have their support.
Lydia Blake, President - Nurses Association of Belize
“It clearly states not in name but you pick it who are responsible for the wrongdoings and if this government was elected under the idea that it will not tolerate any corruption and it has been proven that wrongdoing has gone on, let’s deal with the situation. This is something major, this is dealing with the public money, it shows were Karl Heusner used to buy things at exorbitant prices, it is in black and white and that doesn’t lie. Somebody is guilty and somebody has to pay and they should act on it now, today and let’s get on working tomorrow in unity for the healthcare of Belize.”
Keith Swift,
Are the nurses contemplating any action?
Lydia Blake,
“I am having a meeting with them today but from my meeting right now with the ones that have gone against what, because the CEO had requested the Director or somebody else to call around each unit and to inform the nurses not to attend the meeting because it was not constitutional, it does not follow the laws, and nurses still went against that and came to the meeting. That shows you that they have other intentions of doing whatever it does to prove their point. I think everybody has reached a point at this institution. I worked in this institution until December of last year and I know what we go through. As the president of NAB that is holding me back, I am against the wall at the moment but I will like to say a lot of things that I know have been going on in this institution but my nurses now are telling me that we are prepared to go all the way.”
Now putting the nurses in changes the power equation substantially; there are over 200 nurses and only 30 doctors. We asked Dr. Gary Longsworth, the hospital’s CEO for his reaction to the nurse’s support.
Dr. Gary Longsworth, KHMH CEO
“Well it must be a concern because again it goes back to patient care. But I am saying that we have to look at the next step in the process and I would urge them to please to allow us to go to the next in the process before doing anything that will adversely affect service to the patients of the KHMH.”
Labour Commissioner Ivan Williams says that the next step for government will be for the Minister of Labour Gabriel Martinez to appoint a five person tribunal which will hear the dispute. He says that doctors are allowed to strike but have to follow the process and any go-slow would be illegal if that process isn’t followed.
