分类： health

In a significant step to strengthen public health outcomes for new families in Belize, six professionals have completed a rigorous six-month lactation counselling certification program, bringing expanded, specialized breastfeeding support to communities across the nation. The newly minted counsellors were formally recognized at an official inauguration ceremony held on the morning of August 27, 2026, where senior health officials and international development partners highlighted the far-reaching public health benefits of the initiative.

Kevin Bernard, Belize’s Minister of Health and Wellness, praised the graduates for their commitment to completing the intensive training, noting that the new cohort directly advances the government’s 2024 national Breastfeeding Policy. The policy prioritizes expanding accessible, evidence-based support for breastfeeding mothers through targeted education, hands-on practical guidance, and whole-family engagement to boost breastfeeding success rates across the country.

“As the minister, I can confirm that our administration remains fully committed to supporting initiatives like this at every level, from local health directorates up to Cabinet,” Bernard stated during the ceremony. “This work delivers tangible improvements: it advances our public health goals for breastfeeding, supports healthier mothers, and sets the foundation for healthier children across Belize.”

Dr. Karen Bell, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) representative to Belize, reinforced the overwhelming scientific consensus on the benefits of breastfeeding for infant health. She emphasized that breast milk is uniquely suited to meet the nutritional needs of newborns, providing all essential nutrients in the correct balance to support healthy growth and early development. Beyond nutrition, Dr. Bell noted that breastfeeding also confers long-term protective benefits, reducing infants’ risk of both acute infectious illnesses in early life and chronic health conditions later in adulthood.

The six-month training program received partial funding from UNICEF Belize, which covered certification costs for four of the six new counsellors. Sajid Ali, UNICEF Belize’s representative, expressed the organization’s pride in the program’s successful completion and its commitment to future expansion. “We look forward to seeing these new counsellors act as champions for skilled breastfeeding support across the country, inspiring more professionals to enter this critical field,” Ali said. “Moving forward, we will continue working with local partners to scale up training opportunities and grow the national network of lactation support providers.”

Following their certification, the six new counsellors will be deployed to health regions throughout Belize, ensuring that breastfeeding mothers in both urban and rural communities can access the trained, personalized support they need to overcome common breastfeeding challenges. This expansion marks a key milestone in Belize’s multi-year effort to improve maternal and child health outcomes through targeted public health programming.

In a recent press briefing addressing widespread social media speculation, Belize’s Minister of Health and Wellness has pushed back against allegations that the country is forcibly removing Cuban medical professionals from its national health system. The controversy erupted earlier this week when opposition figure Wil Maheia claimed in a public post that personal belongings of Cuban doctors were already being packed and shipped back to Cuba, framing the movement as a stealth expulsion of the long-serving medical brigade.

Minister Bernard, who directly called out Maheia for the claim, described the allegation as an irresponsible and out-of-context mischaracterization of a longstanding routine procedure. He explained that Cuban doctors stationed in Belize take scheduled annual vacations at staggered intervals throughout the year, and it is common practice for them to ship personal gifts and household items back to family members in Cuba during these trips. Contrary to the insinuation of incremental expulsions, Bernard emphasized that all currently serving Cuban medical professionals remain fully employed and active in clinical roles across every tier of Belize’s health system.

The minister confirmed what has previously been reported: that ongoing diplomatic negotiations are underway to determine the long-term future of the Cuban medical brigade in Belize, but no final decisions have been made. He stressed that the government of Belize greatly values the decades of support the Cuban medical personnel have provided to the country’s public health system, and the goal of the discussions is to reach a mutually beneficial, amicable resolution that addresses both Belize’s health needs and the concerns of the Cuban medical team.

According to Bernard, the ongoing negotiations are progressing steadily, and a final recommendation will be presented to the Belizean Cabinet for approval as early as September 2026. Once an agreement is reached, both the Belizean government and the Cuban brigade will have the clarity and assurances they need moving forward.

In parallel to the diplomatic talks, the Ministry of Health has been advancing independent initiatives to strengthen Belize’s domestic medical workforce. Bernard noted that five Belizean doctors who have been completing specialized training abroad are preparing to return to the country to practice. These returning professionals include two nephrologists, two obstetricians, and one pediatrician — all specialties that address critical gaps in Belize’s current public health capacity.

He also confirmed that the government is in active discussions to recruit additional medical professionals from the Philippines to supplement the country’s existing healthcare workforce, a move designed to ensure consistent access to care for Belizean communities regardless of the outcome of the Cuban brigade negotiations. For now, the fate of the longstanding Cuban medical partnership will remain in the hands of Cabinet, which is expected to finalize a decision in the coming weeks.

Across Central America, Belize has emerged as the site of a groundbreaking public health effort that flips the script on traditional tobacco control advocacy. Partnering together, the Belize Cancer Society and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids have unveiled a new project that places young Belizeans at the center of the fight against big tobacco, with the core goal of stopping youth nicotine use before it becomes a lifelong habit.

Named “Youth Leading Change for a Tobacco-Free Belize”, the initiative unites high school and college students with local community organizers to tackle tobacco use at its root. Unlike top-down public health campaigns, this model empowers the demographic most at risk of tobacco industry targeting to design and lead advocacy efforts across the country.

Patricia Sosa, associate vice president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, explained that the effort aligns with the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, a landmark global public health treaty that has been ratified by 183 nations around the world. One of the coalition’s top local policy priorities is the adoption of a comprehensive ban on smoking in all indoor public spaces. Sosa emphasized that the proposal does not seek to outlaw tobacco products entirely or ban personal use in private residences; rather, it aims to reduce involuntary exposure to dangerous secondhand smoke for all Belizeans.

The intentional focus on youth leadership comes as public health experts document a deliberate shift in tobacco industry strategy. As the number of long-term older adult smokers declines globally, major tobacco companies have redirected their marketing efforts to recruit a new generation of young users, particularly through newer nicotine products such as e-cigarettes and vapes. Sosa noted that public health data confirms a stark trend: any person who begins smoking regularly before the age of 18 is far more likely to develop a lifelong nicotine addiction.

Compounding this risk, Sosa added, is the industry’s exploitation of digital platforms to reach young audiences. Tobacco and vape companies now use social media algorithms, micro-influencers, and hyper-targeted ad campaigns to connect with teens and young adults, flying under the radar of many traditional regulatory frameworks. This is precisely why young people must have a leading voice in anti-tobacco work, Sosa argued: external advocates cannot fully understand the tactics tobacco companies use to persuade youth unless they listen directly to the communities being targeted.

Kim Simplis Barrow, president of the Belize Cancer Society, added that the youth-centered initiative fits seamlessly into the organization’s core mission of cancer prevention. As the global public health community has repeatedly confirmed, tobacco use remains one of the leading preventable causes of cancer worldwide. “Tobacco is one of the main causes of cancer in the world, so this aligns squarely with the work that we do,” Simplis Barrow said.

Right now, the campaign’s long-term priorities and strategies are still being shaped by the young participants leading the movement. Through ongoing strategic planning workshops, young contributors are outlining what a tobacco-free Belize should look like, and what steps the advocacy movement should take to get there. “We have a number of young people in the room who will be guiding this campaign,” Simplis Barrow explained. “It’s youth engagement, for them to give us the direction in which they want to see a smoke-free Belize.”