Belize’s only tertiary care facility, the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH), is entering a new era of transformation under its recently appointed Chief Executive Officer Sharine Reyes, who formally stepped into the role on April 1. Tasked with leading one of the nation’s most high-profile and heavily scrutinized public institutions, Reyes says she already feels both the weight of public expectations and the widespread outpouring of support from across Belize that has followed her appointment.
In her first public interview since taking office, the new CEO did not shy away from acknowledging the deep-seated challenges she inherited, from persistent low staff morale to long-fractured internal relationships between management and frontline workers. For Reyes, the foundation for lasting change begins with rebuilding the hospital’s work environment: breaking down communication barriers, ensuring every staff member’s concerns are heard, and putting the systems and structural support in place that teams need to succeed.
A core part of her agenda is also reshaping the dominant negative narrative that has overshadowed KHMH in recent years, by highlighting the institution’s existing strengths that often go unrecognized. From the country’s most advanced computed tomography (CT) scanner to a fully operational oncology program that has helped hundreds of patients achieve remission, and a team of more than 700 dedicated clinical and administrative staff committed to delivering life-saving care, Reyes says KHMH already delivers transformative outcomes for Belizeans every single day.
“I feel incredibly blessed and grateful for the confidence placed in me, both by KHMH staff and the entire Belizean nation,” Reyes said. “We’ve seen the public comments, words of encouragement, and even prayers that have poured in since my appointment, and that means a great deal. To boost staff morale, you first have to fix the conditions people work in. Our teams are already committed to their work, but they need functional systems, adequate resources and clear structures to perform at their best.”
Her leadership priorities include addressing long-running operational bottlenecks, strengthening cross-team communication, and embedding accountability at every level of the organization. “When staff know their issues are being taken seriously and addressed, that is the first and most important step to lifting morale,” she noted. “Over the coming months, we plan to shine a light on all the good work happening at KHMH every day. We have world-class clinicians, talented surgeons, compassionate nurses, and 700+ people who show up every day with one mission: to take care of every Belizean who walks through our doors. That’s the story we want the public to know.”
Reyes acknowledged that rebuilding public trust and institutional culture will not happen quickly, but she expressed confidence that with intentional systems reform, sustained public and institutional support, and a renewed laser focus on patient-centered care, KHMH can once again become a source of national pride for all Belizeans.
The early signs of a reset are already emerging, after years of strained relations between hospital management and staff. The new CEO has already held her first formal meeting with newly elected KHMH Authority Union President Roy Briceno, with both sides describing the conversation as productive and collaborative. Briceno, who was elected to the union leadership post in October 2025, said he had waited months for the appointment of a permanent CEO, and the first meeting exceeded his expectations.
“Our meeting yesterday was very amicable,” Briceno shared in his first interview as union president. “We laid out all the long-standing issues our members face, and she agreed that we will continue meeting regularly to work through solutions together. Raising staff morale is a top priority for both the union and management, and that’s something we’re committed to tackling together. One key ask our members have long pushed for is clearer pathways for upward mobility within the institution, and that is already on the table as a shared priority.”
Briceno added that staff already responded positively to Reyes’ appointment, in large part because of her well-documented open-door policy and approachable leadership style. “She’s someone we already know, someone who is open to dialogue and committed to resolving staff concerns, so that already gives us a lot of confidence,” he said.
When asked to describe the current state of staff morale, Briceno noted that years of disconnected communication between past management and the union created a tense working environment that filtered down to frontline teams. “There was simply no functional relationship between the union and previous leadership, and that trickled down to affect every member of staff,” he explained. “My goal as the new union president, along with our new executive board, is to build a much closer, more collaborative relationship with management. We need space to understand each other, work together, and address the needs of our members – and when that happens, that improvement will trickle down to the patients we serve, and make KHMH a stronger institution overall.”
The outlet reports that it will publish a follow-up feature on Monday exploring the full scope of challenges facing the new KHMH leadership, including unconventional issues such as managing staff caught up in ongoing U.S.-Cuba geopolitical tensions and the union’s long-standing demand for a 20 percent wage increase for hospital employees.