And while the Opposition and the Ashcroft Alliance are laser locked into Portico and the lay of the land for the cruise ship industry - the Briceno Administration says it has much bigger things on its plate.
Yesterday the Prime Minister and a retinue of ministers welcomed principals from the Saudi Fund to sign the 45 million US dollar loan agreement for what is now being called a university hospital to be built in Belmopan.
The media was not invited, but this video from the press office shows Ahmed Al Khateeb, Saudi Arabia's Minister of Tourism and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Fund for Development being greeted on his private jet by the Minister of Tourism Anthony Mahler.
Inside the VIP lounge, Khateeb and his team were greeted by the Prime Minister where they had a photo op and then signed the document.
A release says the low interest loan comes out of efforts by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to, quote, "support developing countries and small island developing states like Belize to overcome sustainable development and climate change challenges."
Witnessing the signing were Hon. Anthony Mahler, Minister of Tourism and Diaspora Relations; Hon. Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health & Wellness; Hon. Christopher Coye, Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment; Mrs. Narda Garcia, CEO in the Office of the Prime Minister and Investment and H.E. Haisam Diab.
A government release says "the new state-of-the-art medical facility which will provide both secondary and tertiary healthcare services…the new facility will serve a dual role as the university hospital for the University of Belize's Faculty of Medicine..."
The release adds that prior to the signing, Al Khateeb informed the Prime Minister that funding has also been approved for the construction of a solar energy plant for Belize.
The Saudi's also committed to participate in the upcoming Belize Investment Summit in late August.
The signing and the big state endorsement for the project comes against a strenuous objection from the KHMH Workers Union that government cannot currently maintain basic services and staffing in the public healthcare system as it is - so why invest in a new hospital before those areas of need are fixed. The PM has called this narrow minded.
