Caye Caulker asks central government for more assistance in medical emergencies

In November 2022, Caye Caulker inaugurated a new polyclinic to improve medical services on La Isla Cariñosa. This infrastructure was more than welcomed but did not solve the Hicaqueños problems with medical emergencies. On Sunday, November 5th, Chairlady Seleny Villanueva-Pott reported that her team struggled to help transport patients to Belize City via private boats. As such, they hope the central government will assist the village council with additional resources to cope with the challenges related to such medical emergencies.
The Chairlady shared that there were three medical emergencies on Sunday. She said that the usual mode of transportation to Belize City’s Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, BERT’s air ambulance, could not fly to Caye Caulker because of the inclement weather. “When we have these types of emergencies, the village council finds alternative ways to transport patients to Belize City and have to pay for such expenses as well,” said Pott. The Chairlady is not necessarily asking for funds but rather an emergency boat they can have whenever needed for these emergencies. “It puts a strain on us because we have limited resources,” she noted. Pott said that without an emergency boat or one on standby, precious time is wasted as they try to find a vessel to transport patients to the mainland.
The village council is asking the Ministry of Health and Wellness to see how they can assist them during these emergencies. The island’s local government pointed out that they try to deal with every situation as best as possible, but the government should do more for tourist destinations like Caye Caulker. Hicaqueños wants people to feel safe on their island and provide locals and tourists with the services they deserve. They believe more needs to be done for a better Caye Caulker.
Usually, the Area Representatives intervene for their constituencies at Cabinet meetings. Area Representative Honourable Andre Perez, representing Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker, is on administrative leave from Cabinet and has not been attending the weekly meetings. However, he says to remain committed to working alongside his government colleagues and assisting his constituents.