Heath Care in Corozal -- by Charlotte (Feb 2004)

The Corozal Hospital is a very old building built by the English. It has been repaired, added on to, painted etc. over the years. It was a functional hospital doing full care and surgery for many years. Each of the districts in Belize had their own hospital. Donated equipment and supplies were relied on to keep things going.

We had a local Belizean friend that need to have gall bladder surgery. She was frightened and had suffered for a long time rather than go in for surgery. We finally talked her into to having it done and it was a success. A few months later we had a group of people who wanted to do fundraising for our hospital. We were given a tour of the hospital including the surgery room. I was dumbfounded at what I saw. The scrub sink was a water spigot like the ones on the outside of the house and it was only cold water. The equipment was old and worn including the surgery table.  The veterinarian I used to work for had better equipment. If I had seen this before my friend had her surgery I would not have encouraged her to have the surgery. The other side of that coin is that the Hospital did many surgeries over the years and they rarely lost a patient, old equipment or not.

The government had hired some consultants to review the health care in Belize and in 2002 they made changes in the health care system.  The studies showed that the government could not afford to properly maintain all these facilities. The decision was to regionalize the system. As a result Corozal’s hospital is no longer a surgical facility. Patients with minor health problems are admitted and anything serious is sent to Orange Walk or Belize City. There are no private rooms and it is pretty dismal. If you are admitted to any hospital in Belize you need family and friends to help you out. If the weather is hot they will need to bring you a fan, water, juice and fruit. Many times they do not have the medications the doctor orders so someone will have to go to the pharmacy to get the medicine. You also need to take your own nightclothes as none are provided.   Personal items are not provided so each patient needs to take toilet paper, soap, toothbrush etc.

The Corozal Ladies Hospital Auxiliary has worked for years to improve the hospital and was sorely disappointed by this change.  A few years ago we raised $25,000 for a big generator and had it installed. We continued to work on the hospital in hopes that we could fix up the surgery room for visiting doctors and maybe have one day a week for scheduled surgeries. We raised the money to have the special epoxy applied to the floors, walls and ceiling of the surgical suite. A new minister of health has been appointed and we are hoping that some positive changes will be made for the Corozal Hospital.

We have a Presbyterian Clinic in a village about 9 miles from Corozal. They are American Doctors and bring in specialist year round. The cost is $10 BZ for an exam and they frequently give you whatever medication is needed.  Many of the expats living in Corozal go out to the clinic for their basic care.  They do not have hospital facility at this time.

 We also have the Bethesda clinic run by an older American doctor and his Belizean partners. It is very nice facility on the north end of town.  The charges are a bit higher but still very reasonable compared to the cost in the US. Several of my friends have gone there and been happy with the care they received.

 In Belize City they have two very up-to-date facilities. Several people that I know have had surgery and said the care was excellent. The cost is a bit higher than going to Chetumal, but still a lot less than in the US.

Another option is to go to Chetumal, which is only 15 miles from Corozal. They provide very good care for a very reasonable cost.. It does help to take a friend who speaks Spanish with you. One of my friends  had major surgery  and received excellent care. They provide an interpreter for the English speaking patients.  Many of the Belizeans go to Chetumal or Merida for complicated medical problems. In Merida they have a hospital that has a connection to a hospital in Houston and the doctors cross train. That makes it especially good for us as that means more English is spoken. They have a wonderful reputation as well. Merida is about six hours from Corozal.

Prescription drugs are not very expensive. For most items you do not need a prescription if you know what you need. Ibuprofen is expensive and sold by the pill. Bring the large bottles of Advil and Tylenol with you.  If we can’t find the medication here in Corozal we then go to Chetumal where we have found 99% of the items we were looking for. Most of the medications are less expensive than in the US.

Dental care in Belize is quite good. We have to good dentists in Corozal who do very good work. There is also a very good dentist in Shipyard in the Mennonite Village. We helped a Belizean friend get false teeth for just over $400 BZ.  We have met several people who visit Belize yearly who wait to get their dental care done when they come on vacation. Some of my Belizean friends go to Chetumal for dental care. It is sometimes a little less than in Corozal but not as convenient. They do have specialist for root canals etc. in Chetumal and the cost is reasonable.

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