But all the NHI promises cannot erase the fact that the Port Loyola Clinic served as a daycare for the mentally ill and a station for psychiatric nurse practitioners. Indeed, the Welcome Center is picking up the slack, but with the crimes by and against mentally ill persons roaming the streets of the city, it's increasingly becoming an area of concern. He acknowledged the need for psychiatric nurses:
Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health
"As you as you are aware, in Belize, on the whole, there's limited psychiatric nurses available the profession we have limited staff when it comes to that, and this is both in the private sector and in the public sector. We want to encourage people to take up these subspecialties. We are encouraging people to take these opportunities, at the same time that services, as I said, still continue to be provided by through the space we have been given at the Mental Health Association. So while there are issues with a lot of mentally challenged persons, in the country, that service is still being provided. And one of the things that I've been very adamant on through the ministry is to make sure that we do not falter on the requested medication that these patients require. I know that last year we had had some issues, when it comes that I think that the risperidone, I think that's one of the medications some of them use. But we have been able to ensure that we have enough supplies, again, because of the demands, because of the forecast that we've seen, over the past year, we had to increase the request in terms of the tender, in terms of what number of medications we need and the quantities we need so that we could supply through, as you know in healthcare, certain things could fall and certain things the demands can rise in some areas. And so we have to always be monitoring the usage and the need for what type of quantity of medication we need for certain purposes. So I just want again to say that those services in psychiatric care. And one of the things I can say though is that the ministry has engaged in several training, including our police, including, where we have trained, many have provided training services for the police, for the Coast Guard and many other persons that is of service services and people to be able to know how to treat and handle patients with mental issues."
