And the minister also caught us up on his senior health team which will soon be in place.
Dr Marvin Manzanero will fill the role of Director of International Cooperation, Jorge Polanco will fill the role of Director of Hospital Services and Allied Health and Dr Melissa Diaz will fill the role of Director of Public Health and Wellness. Bernard discussed their appointments:
Kevin Bernard - Minister of Health
"In terms of the Director of Hospital Services, we have a seasoned experienced doctor who has been chosen, this person will be going on contract basis for 2 years to start, Dr. Jorge Polanco, I think he bring a wealth of experience and he was at once the deputy director of health services for years and has international experience as well and I will say that the commission did approve Dr. Melissa Diaz Musa to serve in the capacity of Director of Public Health and Wellness, as you know Dr. Musa has also done a great at the Belize Central Region and also when she called upon to lead the whole COVID response, she did extremely well."
Jules Vasquez
"Dr. Musa has been approved but she wasn't even approved as the regional manager for the central region. How do you move from an acting deputy director of a region to being the director of public of health?"
Kevin Bernard
"Well let me put this Jules, I know that may have been a position but the problem was not Dr. Musa not being in the right position as the manager of central region, it was just the process at the public service and we know exactly what was happening at the public service commission, so that has now been solved, the commission has met, the commission has done all that process, she now has been in the substantive post of the central region manager and now she has applied for a position which they believe she suited to apply for and she was the one that has been given the nod to go ahead."
Jules Vasquez
"Dr. Jorge Polanco did he even did an interview? And is his age not a barrier to him holding this post?"
Kevin Bernard
"I won't say that his age is a barrier, I think that Dr. Polanco as I said brings a wealth of experience, he brings not only experience but he brings with him the quality that we expect in terms of leading that specific area in the ministry and I think that as I mentioned he will be coming on board as a contract, so that may not have gone to the commission because he's coming in on contract, it goes to the public service, the public service then does the approval, it goes to finance and then finance makes the final appointment."
We're told those appointments could be confirmed by next week.
