AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums The Cayes Ambergris Caye The care and emergency treatment of Mr. Fred Somes

I personally know very little of what happened in the past but I think Nurse Natalie and Amanda (as well as others) are getting at the real issues here.

It might help if we get a partner somewhere in the US that could help us set up a true emergency response organization that we could then raise funds for. I think in this case we would also need a local doctor to take responsibility for managing the physician component of this undertaking.

I think the way to go is private funding for this as the government has enough fiscal burdens already and given the current economic climate the government is unlikely to be able to provide much in the way of funds.

I also believe that we could come up with a model that would provide ongoing funds for the emergency response organization through perhaps a voluntary contribution from our tourists. This would take a real committment from the hospitality community and would of course be ripe for abuse if we are not very careful but I think most tourists would be happy to donate $1.00 Belize a day per person to fund this.

For myself I would be happy to try and get a hospital or physican organziation here in South Florida to support us in this endeavor. I am also to provide some limited funds and my time to help move this along.

I have been talking to some folks up north of the cut about my concerns about medical treatment especially in the event of severe weather when water transportation would likely not be available.

I am newcomer to this board and I am not trying to insert myself into this situation for any reason other than trying to be helpful. I am only on the island about 1/3rd of the time but stand ready to help in any way I can.

Anyone feel free to contact me by email to discuss.

I doubt that "privately donated" funding will be steady enough or long term enough to adequately maintain a E.R. type facility on the island.

It's likely that many of us could find ways to equip the poly clinic with "private" or donated funds / equipment but like I stated previously, the biggest expense is having trained personel on site 24/7.

Without the Belize government's long term financial involvement this will be a difficult task to accomplish for sure.

Here in the US E.R.s are big money losers. They are expensive to operate and have very low collection rates (lots of free care). The reason our hospitals have them is 1) to provide true emergent care to our community 2) the E.R. is the source of as much as 75% of a hospital's admission rate.

Critical care is expensive. The costs will be less there than here in the US but long term, stable funding will be needed.

This goal can and should be accomplished. The island's full / part time residents and tourists numbers are certainly significantly high enough to justify this extra expense to the GOB.

A single central location with a medical transport cart and 24/7 "in house" emergency responders will significantly improve response time and improve survival rates. Local doctors could then rotate being "on call" and present to this location after hours when needed instead of having to open their own doors or present to the scene. One phone # and one phone call could then result in a faster response from the responders. The responders would then assess the patient and consult with the doctor by phone or simply ask the doctor to present to the central location (E.R.). And unlike here, if the "emergency" turns out not to be a "true emergency" then the responders would not be obligated to transport the patient or possibly not even involve the local doctor at that time.

If my help is needed I can be reached at the office M-F 8-5 US central time. I will volunteer my time to teach ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support), ATLS (Adult Trauma Life Support), PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) and NALS (Neonatal Advanced Life Support)if needed. I am not an instructor in these coarses but have been certified in all of them.

I may be able to locate some equipment and bring it to AC but I'm confident the equipment would be much cheaper if purchased in Mexico instead of here in the US.

Please call if my assistance is desired.

www.medicalcenterforyou.com
001-601-849-1918
tommy@tecinfo.com

Martin and Tommy thanks for your concern in this area. I have some friends that are on the new board of the poly clinic and I will pass your info along to them.

The government of Belize does have to provide certain basis necessities to its tax payers and medical care is one of these items. As is basic primary school education. We are sadly lacking in these areas and the public is having to meet the short falls - unfortunately when it comes to critical care lives are at stake. When it comes to schooling entire generations livelihoods are at stake.

Most likely the funding for an emergency room will need to be a joint effort from a number of departments of government. The ministry of health of course, but our big extra push will hopefully be from the ministry of tourism. Without basic health facilities we will be left behind in the tourism industry compared to other nearby nations.

Dr. John Gillis here in Halifax, Canada, emergency room doctor and medical director of Bandage International, the charity group of doctors and paramedics which has come for the last four years to teach emergency skills in Belize, including on AC/San Pedro.

I am sorry to hear that a bad event may have happened and hope that this renewed interest helps brings things together in a more coordinated fashion. We have been a partner in this endeavor by raising our own money and co ming to Belize to help a country and an island we love.

We have to date made 6 trips to San Pedro to teach the very skills referred to in this thread, having trained over 150 San Pedranos in first aid and CPR (with certification from our partner the Belize Red Cross), and in basic and advanced rescue. On our last trip, we trained 25 senior students at the high school to try and set a tone for the future. We have also worked to train the rescue team, and have brought equipment including defibs (one left with dr. dan and dr. tina), backboards,and more. We have looked into transport options (the ambulance rotted away a long time ago in front of the medical school) and are happy to fill a medical cart with supplies we have already on hand. We have had positive meetings with Mayor Paz and Minister Heredia regarding how to provide better and more coordinated emergency care on AC. We have even offered to look into having volunteer Advanced Care Paramedics and/or Canadian trained emergency room physicians be stationed on a rotating basis on the island.

My point is that this is not the first time these issues have been raised and there is definitely a willingness both on AC and among friends abroad to help improve this situation which is so important not just for the well being of Island residents but for the security of tourists who visit and thus the health of the tourism industry.

The issue seems to gain steam....held together by the great work of people like Dr. Dan and Dr. Tina, Nurse Nathalie, the crew at Island ferry, and many others... but then lose a bit of steam. Time to gain momentum and keep it moving. Time to get all the players in the room and find a way to make a system work... the San Pedro way.

We will be back in the fall, with whatever is needed... but the more people that can work together on this project, the better off all people in San Pedro... locals and visitors alike... will be.

drop me a line at johnmgillis@hotmail.com or check out www.bandageinternational.org

Cheers and see you soon,

John M Gillis,
MD, CCFP(EM)
MBA (Master of Belikin Acquisition)

I think it should be simple to put a plan together since this is nothing new and it has been done and continues to be done all over the world. The problem is funding.

You can always ask for donations but the problem is everyone asks for donations and that can fall out of favor.

You can ask the government.

You can ask the BTB, which is what should happen

Or you can find a way to have the funds generated through tax ($1.00 tax for every person that comes to Ambergris Caye paid via water taxis and the airlines should generate about $250K or more BZ per year. That should fund everything we need.

We need full time emergency responders. They should be setup like in the US in a place where they sit around and clean their vehicles and check equipment and train! That is all nothing else. They should not be diving they should not be construction workers they should be trained professionals.

without at least 4 or 5 full time employees and a vehicle as well as a station it is not possible to provide proper emergency service for a population of this size.

Of course this service would not be able to respond to emergencies 4 miles north or more in a reasonable amount of time so it is essential that a group of strategically located volunteers be trained and on call all over the island to assist and prepare for the pros.

The first step is to come up with a plan and then figure out what it will cost and then figure out where to get the money.

Maybe the GOB should tack on a 'Medical' tax to land tax for foreigners (the people that can afford it)? A land tax of $100 or $200/year is a steal for US, Canadian or European land owners. For those who own a $300-$500US condo/house what's a another $100-$200/year?? Maybe a little bit more to help educate the kids would be in order too.

I am completely with you until you get to the part about "what's another $100-$200/year??". I am not on board with this approach. If you want to approach it this way then let's just tax every non-Belizean say $10,000.00 a year or make that a month or a day. From my, admittedly limited, perspective the whole point would be to build a sustainable voluntary organization that can meet the needs of the citizens at the lowest cost possible. Also, since it has been mentioned that those 4 or more miles north would have to rely on volunteers I see no point in taxing them if they are to receive no services. I like the per person approach but I am against new taxes and if this could be accomplished via donations that would be preferable in my view.

I also don't believe that you need to duplicate the hideously expensive "sitting around the firehouse all day" approach. Plenty of rural communities that have much larger service areas are adequately served by vountary organizations. Perhaps a case could be made for a dedicated buidling such as a fire house etc. which could be used for training and to house the equipment (and of course serve a social function as well).

I had no idea that the island was the beneficiary of folks like Dr. Gillis. Here is a physician and organization that are, eminently qualified, already involved and apparently willing to continue helping in this situation. There is a level of committment and experience that we should not let get away. I am not sure but perhaps we could somehow combine Dr. Gillis and his organizations help with an educational aspect that would benefit everyone by training and certifying in some way people that work in direct contact with our visitors.

I can tell you this from long experience (and it was long ago as well) that any emergency organization depends upon three things. Planning, training and communication. Without these elements any emergency system will fail.

Let me know if I can help somehow other than rambling along here on this board.

only part i want ot make a small comment about is why do the tourists (me) have to pick up the extra $1, and not have the $1-2 be added into condo dues of owners? as tourists, we are already paying the 9% tax and a departure tax, and now one more tax?

it would personally irk me that i save my pennies for months to be able to get there, and then have to help support services for those who can afford $100K+ vacation homes (not to mention the 500K ones)in foreign countries when i never will be able to in my lifetime.

i've kept mum for years, and call me a socialist, but often it sickens me to see the amount of cumulative wealth on that island when people are poor and animals are sick and dying, the occasional tragedy occurs cuz no proper services are available, you cant drink tap water [i drink the water at some places i stay, but NO WAY would others - and i have NEVER heard a travel specialist tell a potential tourist coming for the first time that it is okay to drink the tap water] students can't afford a notebook and trash is strewn all over the place.

Not sure what the best way to do it is but I really think that some sort of fee for people who come to the island is worthwhile. There use to be a chamber fee of $.50 per tank. I am not proposing the fee for only tourists it wold be for anyone coming to the island local or otherwise. I go back and forth from this island more than any tourist and it would really not bother me. we are talking about $1 to help ensure that should there be a medical emergency you and anyone else on this island regardless of the color of their skin or economic situation will have a better chance of survival.

The overall problem is not the lack of people wanting to get involved or the lack of ideas or the lack of training. If you want to have professionals on standby with the equipment that will save your life you need to pay them. If you pay them properly they might actually stay for a while too. It is easy and all it will take is money.