Another expert spokesperson for today's press conference was Dr. Alain Gonalez. He is currently a part of the KHMH COVID unit, where he is on his fourth rotation.
He focused his presentation on what the UDP thinks is a failure of the Government to make widespread COVID testing the main feature of the public health response to the pandemic.
Here's an excerpt of his presentation:
Dr. Alain Gonzalez - Medical Professional
"We have never seen so many cases as we have seen this time. This wave that we are experiencing right now is the worst it has ever been, and I think right now, we are at our climax. I want to stress that working in the COVID unit, as difficult as it could be, is very tiring. It could bring stress to you. Our staff, at times, are at their worst. We are sometimes short of staff. Many times, patients are coming in, we might not have a bed to put them in, but we find space for them because we know the importance of them having being hospitalized. It's important, as I mentioned, that we must get our vaccine. Testing is something is that I think the Government should have grabbed and held on to from the very beginning, and see how they could have managed the testing much better. Presently, the testing should be free for all individuals, all citizens of Belize. But, it's not that way. We have realized that many private sector [agencies] are doing testing. While we understand that this is a costly measure to the public because not everyone can afford to do testing. The government should have never privatized this testing the way it did because it causes a burden on our public. Testing usually costs about $6 US. When that comes to Belize, it is sold for about maybe 40 to 50 Belize dollars. These private companies turn around and charge you about 150 dollars for testing. But now, I'm proud to say that at KHMH - and I am not sure about the other health institutions - but at KHMH, we're doing mandatory testing for all the patients who reach the hospital. The testing - and I'm speaking specifically about the rapid test because we know there's both the rapid test, and there's also the PCR testing. The rapid test is like a home pregnancy test. It's very fast to do. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes, and it's nothing painful. So, for the testing that we're doing, I would encourage the government to try and do testing as much as possible. Testing is actually one of the key factors, besides all the many factors that Dr. Arnold mentioned, one of the key factors that will help us to prevent the spread of this disease."
Opposition Leader Patrick Faber then seized on the opportunity to criticize the government for not making COVID testing available and free in all circumstances. He was referring to the situation where if you have no symptoms and want a precautionary test, you would have to go to a private facility and pay for it. Free tests are only available for persons who show up to the flu clinics with symptoms. But, additional free testing was recently implemented at the Civic Centers in Belize City and Belmopan, but according to the Opposition Leader, that is not enough, and costs shouldn't deter citizens from knowing their COVID status:
Hon. Patrick Faber - Leader of the Opposition
"Dr. Gonzalez spoke about the need to have testing accessible and free, and the UDP calls on the Government to make testing free, and we absolutely criticize the move by the Government to privatize the testing because, apart from it being a hustle - and you've heard us speak about that - the low cost of the acquisition of these tests for what the private hospitals and companies are charging for testing, it's ridiculous. It's a mockery, and the government must arrest it by making these tests free. We recognize their efforts - I think it is at the Civic Center here in Belize City and Belmopan - but that is not enough. Testing must be free everywhere. We should be testing, testing, testing. We must be identifying the cases that are out there, and we must be isolating, and we must control the community spread. There is an absolute failure when it comes to addressing the community spread, and we trace that back to the fact that people are not getting tested. You know that I represent a constituency on the Southside of Belize City, and Belize City seems to be the worst-hit part of the country. And it has been for some time now with COVID. If I tell you how many people have been affected by COVID, and you check with the people who are in their surroundings. They will tell you, 'I don't know if I have it because I cannot pay $75 dollars, $100, $150 to get a rapid test. I don't have that money.'"
