Thirty-one years after opening its doors as Belize’s only national public referral hospital, Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) is marking its milestone anniversary by putting its hardworking staff in the spotlight, alongside opening two upgraded clinical units to meet growing patient demand across the country.
Since 1995, KHMH has served as the primary provider of specialized critical care for Belizeans from every region of the nation, a role no other medical institution in the country can fill. This year’s anniversary celebration centered on recognizing the decades of commitment, skill, and service from the hospital’s workforce that keeps life-saving care running day in and day out. Prime Minister John Briceño joined the official anniversary activities on September 18, 2026, and oversaw the ribbon-cutting for the two newly expanded departments.
The flagship expansion is the upgraded Hemodialysis Unit, which had operated out of the same cramped original space for 15 years. As a national referral center, KHMH treats every patient across Belize living with kidney failure and chronic renal insufficiency, and the old facility could no longer keep pace with rising patient volumes. The new renovated unit now houses 8 functional dialysis machines, with built-in space to accommodate an additional 7 machines as demand for renal care continues to climb.
Hemodialysis Unit Manager Michelle Casimiro explained that the hospital currently provides government-subsidized care for 21 permanent patients, covering two weekly treatment sessions per patient funded through public healthcare. Beyond these regular patients, the unit also serves emergency and hospitalized patients from other departments who require urgent dialysis care, including those with infected catheters or acute kidney complications. “Our demand is very high — we need that extra space to accommodate both our regular patients and the emergency cases that come in every day,” Casimiro noted.
One floor below the renal unit, the hospital’s Physiotherapy Department has also received a much-needed expansion to address its own steady stream of patients. The department provides rehabilitative care for patients recovering from a wide range of conditions, including gunshot wounds, road traffic accident injuries, post-surgical recovery, illness, and other major physical trauma. On an average day, the department sees between 20 and 30 patients, most of whom are scheduled for two treatment sessions per week. For years, the small team of just five physical therapists has worked to manage high demand with limited staffing and space, often unable to offer more frequent sessions to patients who could benefit from additional care. The expanded facility will create room to accommodate more appointments as the hospital works to hire additional clinical staff.
KHMH Chief Executive Officer Sherine Reyes emphasized that the facility’s 31st anniversary marks both a celebration of past progress and a commitment to ongoing improvement. Hospital leadership is working to reframe the public’s perception of the institution, with frontline staff leading many of the recent changes to patient care. Reyes noted that this transformation cannot be achieved by the hospital alone, and called on the Belizean public to contribute feedback to help the facility continue adapting to meet community needs.
As part of the anniversary celebration, staff and leadership planted trees to symbolize their commitment to decades of future service to the people of Belize. As KHMH enters its 32nd year of operation, the milestone reflects both the progress made in expanding Belize’s public healthcare capacity and the ongoing work ahead to address growing patient demand and improve care access across the country.