C ommo nwe a l t h memb e r c o u n t r i e s skilled health professional. In the period 2007–12 this figure stood at 94 per cent, so this target is not far from being achieved. MDG 6 aims for a reduction in the prevalence of HIV, malaria and other diseases. Levels of estimated incidence of TB have remained the same over the period 1990–2012, while mortality (when mortality data excludes cases comorbid with HIV) from TB has almost doubled over this time. There has been a slight reduction in HIV prevalence in the period 2005–12, although since 1995 the general trend has been upward and it remains a general epidemic. Given this data, further progress is required if MDG 6 is to be achieved. For definitions, sources and explanations on the Millennium Development Goals see page 314. Universal health coverage Only a third of health care in Belize (35 per cent) was paid for by patients or funded by other non-governmental entities – such as private insurers, charities or employers – in 2012. Total health expenditure constituted 5.8 per cent of GDP in 2012, of which 65 per cent (US$168 per capita) was covered by the government. In 2003, following a successful pilot project, the government of Belize established a national health insurance (NHI) scheme. The government announced that the scheme would serve not only as a system of raising money for health care, but that is would also change the way that health funding is spent through the principle of an ‘informed purchaser’ from a ‘choice of providers’. At the time of writing, the NHI catered to more than 36,000 persons on the south side of Belize City. In 2007 the WHO report Everybody’s Business: Strengthening Health Systems to Improve Health Outcomes defined six basic functions that would help Belize achieve its universal health care goals. These included the statements that: health services must be efficient, effective and accessible; access to medicines, vaccines and medical technologies must be equitable; and health financing systems must raise adequate funds for health, ensuring that people can access affordable services. Belize has signed but not ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which includes ‘the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health’. The covenant commits signees to providing healthy and hygienic environmental conditions, controlling epidemic diseases, improving child health and facilitating access to health services without discrimination. Care of the elderly: Approximately 13,000 people in Belize are over the age of 65 – four per cent of the total population (2013). At the age of 60, a person living in Belize can expect to live for an additional 21 years on average. Belize’s non-contributory pension programme was introduced in 2003. Today, monthly pension credits are paid by the state at a rate of US$51 per person (2007–12). Overall, public pension spending is equivalent to 0.2 per cent of the country’s total economic output (2011). In 2003 the government of Belize established the National Council on Ageing (NCA) as a response to the implementation of the National Policy for Older Persons, which passed through the cabinet in June 2002. The council was developed to facilitate the development and implementation of plans and programmes to improve and enhance the quality of life of older people, in part by ensuring the basic human rights of older persons are protected. In 2006 the NCA teamed up with the Florida Association of Volunteer Action in the Caribbean and Americas, and Florida International University to provide training services in home health care to volunteers, support workers and family members of older persons. Another organisation in Belize that helps to cater for care in the elderly community is HelpAge Belize, an affiliate of HelpAge International. HelpAge Belize runs nine day centres for older men and women across the country and in 2011 began looking into the feasibility of introducing a non-contributory pension for all older citizens. Further information Ministry of Health: www.belize.gov.bz Commonwealth Health Online: www.commonwealthhealth.org/health/americas/belize 150 Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015 Population over 65 4%
Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015
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