Belize’s Placencia Peninsula has long been in need of a polyclinic. This week, residents and visitors to the tiny finger of land in Southern Belize finally had that pressing need met thanks to a partnership between The Belize Tourism Board (BTB), the Ministry of Health and Wellness, and the Heineman-Robicsek Foundation Inc.
Introducing Placencia’s New Polyclinic
On May 15th, 2024 the ribbon was officially cut on the Placencia Polyclinic, which sits just near the Placencia airstrip. It is a much-welcomed addition to the Peninsula’s infrastructure, having been several years in the making. With the groundbreaking ceremony held in January 2022, the creation of the new polyclinic has been a collaborative effort from start to finish.
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According to Placencia blogger (and CC+L contributor) Megan Rodden, the Ministry of Health played an important role in the functional design of the building. They plan to staff the clinic with some 30 healthcare and administrative workers.
Meanwhile, Funding for the project was mainly through Belize’s Tourism Development Fund as well as the Belize Tourism Board’s Industry Development funding. In a recent press release, the BTB noted that the clinic includes a main building, a laundry and generator room, a parking lot, a security booth, planters, and a cemented main entrance road access. The Polyclinic also includes spaces for consultation rooms, reception and registration areas, waiting rooms, an asthma bay, a pharmacy, two triage rooms, a lab, and shock/trauma rooms.
Accompanying the project was a donation handed over to the Ministry of Health and Wellness of medical equipment and a fully equipped ambulance for exclusive use at this facility. Additionally, the Polyclinic benefits from convenient land, air and sea connectivity, facilitating access for its patients.
-Belize Tourism Board
The aim of the polyclinic, says the BTB is to offer “quality healthcare services to the residents of Placencia Village, Seine Bight and nearby communities, including the increasing numbers of visitors to these destinations.”
The Placencia Polyclinic will be open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.