Children in Belize who are diagnosed with cancer continue to receive medical assistance from the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW). This help comes through services provided by Hospital General Agustín O’Horán in Merida, Mexico. This arrangement is possible due to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was signed in October 2015.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was officially signed with the hospital in Mérida in October 2015. The ceremony was led by then Minister of Health Pablo Marin. Other participants included Laura Longsworth from the Belize Cancer Society, former Mexican Ambassador to Belize Carlos Quesnel Melendez, and Leticia Vega, a Belize Social Security Board representative, who provided a grant to cover cancer treatments.
In a memorandum dated October 22nd, Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa, the Director of Public Health and Wellness at the MOHW, reminded medical care entities and practitioners of the continuation of the program. The memorandum also stated that parents, guardians, or treating physicians of any child with pediatric cancer should report these cases to the appropriate entities for processing.
The first entity is the Belize Cancer Center, located in Dangriga. It can be reached at telephone number 522-3951 or via email at [email protected]. The second entity is the Belize Cancer Society, which can be contacted at telephone number 223-0922 or via email at [email protected].
The agreement with the hospital in Merida allows children under the age of 18 to access treatment services at no cost. Available treatments include specialist consultations, hospitalization, chemotherapy, biopsies, imaging services such as CT scans and ultrasounds, as well as other therapies for children suffering from cancer.
Despite the hope brought by recent initiatives for children suffering from deadly diseases, many have unfortunately lost their lives in the past. Recently, the family of a young child named Tristian, living on the mainland, learned about the severity of his cancer. Doctors informed them that the cancer had spread to his brain, and as time progressed, he may need to be placed on a breathing machine. Those familiar with Tristian’s situation have emphasized the urgent need for timely healthcare services for children battling such serious illnesses in the country.
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