From May 6 to 12, 2026, Belize is honoring the quiet dedication and life-saving contributions of its nursing workforce through the annual Nurses Week celebration, shining a long-overdue spotlight on the caregivers who stand as the backbone of the nation’s healthcare system.
The celebration kicked off with an emotional awards ceremony at Belize’s largest public healthcare facility, the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH), where the institution’s nearly 200 nursing staff were celebrated for their relentless commitment to patient care. Running under the official global theme “Our Nurses, Our Future,” the week-long series of events aims to lift up the frontline role nurses play, and acknowledge the unseen effort that keeps the hospital system running for patients across the country.
In her opening remarks at the ceremony, KHMH Chief Executive Officer Sharine Reyes emphasized the irreplaceable position nurses hold in every patient’s care journey. “Nurses are the backbone of healthcare,” Reyes said. “They are the first face a patient meets when they walk into care in a moment of fear and uncertainty, and they are the last to check in before a patient is discharged home. They work overnight shifts, they stay at the bedside through every critical moment, and their work often goes unrecognized by the broader public. That is why it is so critical that we take this week to honor their significance.”
For Devon Pitts, a Licensed Practical Nurse who has served at KHMH for just over six months, the formal recognition carries profound meaning, especially as nursing teams across Belize continue to grapple with persistent staffing shortages. On a daily basis, Pitts and his colleagues rely on close teamwork and deep personal commitment to keep up with patient demand, but he says the work itself brings its own reward.
“It feels amazing to be recognized for what we do, because nursing is not an easy job,” Pitts explained. “Every day we show up and we navigate challenges from one patient to the next. But at the end of every shift, I go home knowing I did something good for someone, that I made a real difference in another person’s life. That is what keeps me going.”
Pitts recalled one particularly memorable moment that reinforced why he chose the profession, just months into his tenure at KHMH. After he finished a shift caring for a sick toddler, he was surprised two days later when the young patient’s parents tracked him down to hand deliver a handwritten card and a small gift, thanking him for the care he gave their daughter. “That moment really stuck with me,” Pitts said. “It was the first time I had ever received a personal thank-you like that from a patient, and it’s a memory I’ll carry with me throughout my career.”
Beyond the opening awards ceremony, KHMH has planned a full week of wellness and social activities to thank its nursing staff, including self-care pampering sessions, a recreational sports day, and a group social night out. Kesilyn Lizama, Director of Nursing Services at KHMH, noted that these gestures of appreciation carry extra weight in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, when healthcare workers faced unprecedented pressure and burnout with little time for recognition or rest.
“In the post-COVID era, everything felt nonstop busy, and there was so little time to stop and say thank you to our teams,” Lizama explained. “That strain is still felt in many ways today. Events like this send a clear message: we hear you, we stand with you, we care about you as staff, not just as caregivers. We hope this is the starting point for more sustained support for our nursing team moving forward.”
For Pitts, the future of his nursing career remains rooted firmly in his home country of Belize. He has no plans to leave for opportunities abroad, a common trend among young healthcare workers in small developing nations, and instead plans to grow his skills right here in the profession he loves. The 2026 Nurses Week celebration, local healthcare leaders say, is more than a single week of events: it is a reminder that investing in nurses is investing in the future of Belize’s healthcare system for generations to come.
This report was prepared by Zenida Lanza for News Five, Belize.