Just about everyone has aired their opinions; therefore, I figure I can put in my two cents. I can appreciate that UHS was a private facility and government, that is, taxpayer’s money, should not be used to settle a private debt. I don’t totally agree with the choice of words but now is not the time. The Pharisee-like behavior of those against the acquisition of UHS is interesting-that many got stuck at the point that UHS was privately owned is rather myopic. Someone concocted the propaganda and it mushroomed. But think of it, if UHS was not privately owned then it would more than likely be Government owned. If it was, would it have been a successful operation? I dare say, no. I say no having witnessed first hand the fate of so called tertiary healthcare facilities within the public system. The thought alone is a misnomer.

By now Belize should have a museum dedicated to tertiary care, where we can see from whence we came and see that we haven’t really travelled far. Over the years we have relegated millions of dollars worth of equipment to the junk yard simply because we cannot maintain them or we simply could not retain the expertise to operate them.

It is uninformed to think of tertiary healthcare and the people who deliver tertiary healthcare in the same context as we do the public health system. To say that the money spent on UHS could be better used in KHMH is again an uninformed conclusion. But worse of all and this is where I really struggle, is the level of selfishness displayed by the opponents of this historic effort. What I have drawn from the entire fiasco is that Belizeans are concentrated on the money and could care less that many, who need the services of UHS and cannot pay for it, would die. That is sad.

When we speak of healthcare, we are talking about human lives. That we are not sensitive or conscious of that is astonishing.

My final observation is that if Said Musa had mentioned that he would have used a portion of the Venezuelan grant to settle the debt, there would have been trouble. Imagine, would we still have a downtown Belize City or would there still be an Assembly Building in Belmopan? I empathize with former Prime Minister Musa who must have agonized over the decision. I’m sure he anticipated what the repercussions could be but gambled on the strong persuasion that he was doing the right thing. It was a damn if he did and damn if he didn’t. I also think that it was within Said Musa’s purview as Prime Minister and Minister of Finance to make a decision on finances.

The thought that Said Musa could go to jail for having a heart astounds me. Said Musa is a noble human being, to think of the people of Belize the way he does and to have taken the risk he did to secure healthcare for this nation is nothing short of heroic. But Said Musa will not be regarded as our unsung hero; the Pharisees don’t want it that way. Check ourselves Belizeans. Check wi self. I see no thief. He cared enough and he acted on that.