At a public meeting in San Mateo north of San Pedro Town, Area Representative Honourable Andre Perez stated that the project for the government hospital for the island is finally happening this year. Perez said that although funds were secured, they had to find a property on the island for the structure, and plans had to be designed for the hospital. According to him, all that is done, and once completed, it will provide permanent jobs for around 250 employees.
Perez said these will include necessary medical personnel such as doctors, nurses, technicians, and pharmacists, to mention a few. “It will be a full-fledged hospital,” Perez said. He noted that the ground-breaking for the construction of the promised hospital will take place very soon. No dates were mentioned, and the location of the hospital will be south of San Pedro.
The state-of-the-art medical facility in San Pedro is possible through a 33-million-dollar grant from the Government and the people of the Republic of China (Taiwan). This cooperation between Belize and Taiwan began in January 2023 when both signed a Memorandum of Understanding. Then, a few months later, former Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen visited Belize in April. During her official visit, the design of the San Pedro Hospital was unveiled at a ceremony in Belize City.
The Government has recognized that islanders and tourists face limited medical services. On countless occasions, islanders must travel to the mainland for emergencies and even across the border to Mexico. Area Representative Perez noted in previous remarks that emergencies could have been treated on the island if it had a better-equipped hospital.
As preparations continue for the ground-breaking, once this medical facility is complete, San Pedro will be one of the municipalities with reliable and advanced healthcare. Besides the upcoming government hospital, a private hospital, Ambergris Hope Hospital, is also making its final tuning for a grand opening scheduled for February. San Pedro also counts with other private health centers, which are part of the final goal of providing San Pedranos with prime health services without needing to travel to the mainland or other countries.
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