The Dr. Otto Rodriguez San Pedro PolyClinic II has hosted various medical students and doctors who donate their services and time to the residents of San Pedro Town at no cost. On Thursday March 21st, a group of Pediatricians were on hand to provide checkups and specialized care for island babies and toddlers.
The group consisted of four pediatric students from Eastern Virginia Medical School University (EVMS), USA, seven pediatric residents and two pediatricians. In Belize, the group has traveled to various villages in the country providing medical treatment for underprivileged children in the rural areas.
In charge of organizing the group’s visit was Doctor Cecilio Eck, pediatrician at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. According to Dr. Eck, who is very passionate about his profession, he noticed the constantly growing need for better child care services in Belize. After returning from his studies abroad, Eck decided to tackle the need for more accessible child care. “I realized that a lot of the children don’t have access to proper pediatric care, so in an effort to bring pediatric care to them, we contacted Kate Restaino, who is the organizer of this group of pediatricians and a student of EVMS,” stated Eck. This is the second year that the group is visiting Belize to give assistance. “We just want to reach out to the kids of the area and provide them with better pediatric help,” explained Kate, when asked about their goals here in Belize.
Last year’s outreach provided care for some 700 children. This year the visiting group along with Doctor Eck have visited the villages of Hattieville, Guinea Grass, Trinidad Village and Crooked Tree, to provide much needed medical care and treatment to the children. Their last visit was to San Pedro Town. Dr. Eck stated that this will become an annual visit. The San Pedro Sun thanks all of the volunteers that gave of their time for such a worthy cause.
