SAN PEDRO DAILY,August 8, 2007,Belize News,Features,Newspapers, Information,Resource,Caribbean,Ambergris Caye

NHI goes Northside City and cayes

Adele Ramos

The Government hopes to complete the full rollout of the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme by the end of the year, and the Ministry of Health, Central Health Region, has embarked on a registration campaign to sign up as many as 24,000 people from Belize City’s Northside and the cayes for phase three of the roll-out.
Health officials say that they hope to register 12,000 at the Cleopatra White Poly Clinic by the end of August, and another 12,000 people are being targeted in the cayes.
Currently, only residents of Southside Belize City and the Southern Health Region – Toledo and Stann Creek – are covered under the scheme, which was piloted in 2001 and established in 2003. Under the scheme, Government subsidizes health care for registered patients at both private and public medical facilities.
The program enables Belizeans to access primary health care services for free or with minimal co-payment, and coverage includes consultations, diagnostics as well as medication. Maternal and child health care are included under the program.
The current expansion of the NHI will only cover Belize City residents as far as the flour mill at Mile 1½ on the Northern Highway, said the deputy regional manager of the Central Health Region, Joan Flowers.
Flowers said that registration is quick and easy, and all patients need to do is to take their Social Security cards to the health center and say they want to sign up with the center. People who live on the cayes should register with their local clinics – the San Pedro Polyclinic and the Caye Caulker Health Center.
She also told us that they are currently undertaking a door-to-door campaign to get people registered. Field officers will advise those who don’t yet have a Social Security card what they could do to get one, Flowers added.
With the planned expansion of the NHI countrywide, the program will cost roughly $21 million, Government officials have informed.
The NHI program is financed from public funds coming from the Social Security Board, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance. Health Minister Joe Coye recently told the media that he supports using a part of the Petroleum Fund to finance the NHI.
Financial Secretary Joe Waight explained that the NHI Fund, which is administered by the Social Security Board, is financed almost 50-50 by Central Government’s Consolidated Revenue Fund and the SSB. SSB would meet $11 million of the annual cost for the countrywide program.
In previous years, the Social Security Board has earmarked $5 million annually from its employment injury branch for the NHI fund.
In his budget for the current financial year, Prime Minister Said Musa had said that $4 million would be put in the recurrent budget for the Ministry of Health for the expansion of the NHI program to the rest of the country, and there was a total allocation of $2 million in capital budget.
The original proposal was for the program to be funded through direct payroll deductions, and Government officials indicate that this option, as well as an increase in Social Security deductions, has not been entirely ruled out. Read More

Confined & Creative at
Hattieville Prison

The Kolbe Foundation is celebrating five years since it took control of the Hattieville Prison. The highlight of the week is an open exhibition of items created by inmates. Managers say that in 5 years, the prison population has grown, but so has morale as the penitentiary has been converted into a production line with a block factory, a tailor shop, and the spirit of enterprise. They say the open exhibition is proof of that.
Keith Swift Reporting,
This bunk bed, these steel doors, carvings, jewelry, and even these concrete blocks are the work of inmates at the Hattieville Prison. Jerme Matura who is serving time for handling stolen goods worked with jellewer Marlon Itza on these silver works.
Jerme Matura, Inmate
“I myself Jerme Matura, I am an inmate and I get introduced to this job through the Kolbe Foundation and when in started this thing I had no knowledge about it and now I am in the jewelry section for 26 months and I have learnt a lot already.”
And from scrap jewelry to scrap tires. 59-year-old Ashley Young who is serving time for assault made mats and flowerpots from old tires.
Ashley Young, Inmate
“I made door mats out of waste tires. I also made flower pots out of tires that you can fill up with soil and put small plants in it and I also made slippers out of the tires too as well.”
Keith Swift,
All of these things are made from old tires?
Ashley Young,
“Old tires.”
Keith Swift,
How did you learn to do this?
Ashley Young,
“Well by practicing and that was it. This keeps me occupied doing my time that I don’t feel frustrated.”
Elmo Henderson - who is serving 9 years for burglary works with wood – whether it be something as small as a carving or a piece as big as this bunk bed.
Elmo Henderson, Inmate
“We usually work in a group, these are group work. We do carvings, we do carved doors, we do different shelves and whatever we can do with wood.”
And now Elmo’s bed, Ashley’s doormats, and Jerme’s jewelry are on sale as part of Kolbe week. Sales representative for the prison is Anthony Bradley.
Anthony Bradley, Sales Rep. – Kolbe Foundation
“The whole purpose here is to highlight what is being done here at Kolbe over the next four days, leading up right into family day on Sunday. There are some items that they might be interested in to buy and that is what we want to do too, we want to exhibit and we are in business also.”
And even if they didn’t make a penny off of what they made it – these prisoners say the experience is worth it.
Jerme Matura,
“If you want to be a better man for society, you can be so if you like. There is an opportunity around and that is the reason why I can say that yes, I know something now.”
The sale runs through to Friday.
Most items are on sale. Kolbe week concludes with a family day. Read More

Musa Heading to Venezuela for Official Meeting with Hugo Chavez

Prime Minister Said Musa is expected to go to Venezuela sometime this week for an official meeting with Hugo Chavez. That’s what credible but unconfirmed reports are telling us this evening. Government’s Chief Information Officer Nuri Mohammed told us that he could not comment, but reliable reports from government insiders tell us that the visit is planned for this weekend. The Prime Minister is expected to be accompanied by Home Affairs Minister and unofficial Venezuela liaison Ralph Fonseca. It is expected that the Prime Minister would broach the matter of a significant assistance package with Chavez.
As has been reported, a grant of US$10 million for housing has been discussed with Fonseca but not yet delivered. The PM and Fonseca we are told would be hoping to cement this but also to discuss much larger loan, grant and assistance projects. Our understanding is that the Musa administration and the PUP party are both making parallel but somewhat independent approaches to the cash rich and influence hungry Venezuelan government.
Last week, PUP Deputy Party Leader and Tourism Minister Godfrey Smith wrote about Chavez in his weekly column in the Belize Times, concluding that he should be invited here to receive the Order of Belize. Read More

NOTICES/LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

CHURCH SERVICE AT HOLY CROSS
Church services will be held at Holy Cross Anglican School on Sunday, August 12 at 10 am. Guest preacher will be Rev. Julie Bryant from Pacific Palisades, California. the entire community is cordially invited.
All parents of registered Holy Cross Anglican School students are required to attend the parent/teacher conference on August 26 at 2 pm. The new school year begins Monday, September 3. For any additional information, please call the School office at 226-3456.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Make the most of yourself for
that is all there is of you
Ralph Waldo Emerson

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