Belmopan, February 13, 2023.
On Saturday, February 11, 2023, Belizean medical professionals attended the Sixth National Health Insurance Symposium, which was held at the Biltmore Plaza Hotel in Belize City.
This forum, entitled “NCD SYMPOSIUM 2023: Rethinking Priorities Post-COVID”, was organized by the National Health Insurance, the Belize Medical and Dental Association, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Belize Social Security Board.
During the one-day event, different medical experts presented on the status of non-communicable diseases within Belize’s population in the three years since COVID-19 became a global public health threat. They also discussed emerging trends in the health needs of patients both domestically and internationally and the best practices that health officials at home and abroad have developed to try and meet that demand.
Ms. Narda Garcia, CEO in the Office of the Prime Minister and one of the keynote speakers at the symposium, told attendees, “After the battering that humanity took with this pandemic, life and health profiles have changed. In some cases, existing problems have been made more acute, while other new health problems have come to the fore and must be addressed. The challenges of picking up the pieces for those that were afflicted with chronic non-communicable diseases is a huge one.”
Among the topics for exploration were the critical health issues affecting Belizeans post-COVID, including non-communicable diseases, the mental health strain on COVID patients and medical personnel, recommendations on antibiotic use, and mental health in the elderly.
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