Can the Government of Belize change the location of the new teaching hospital without taking an amended motion to Parliament? Business Senator Kevin Herrera, speaking with The Reporter on Thursday, says, at minimum, the matter should have been taken to Parliament to be properly ventilated.
The government’s decision to relocate the teaching hospital from the University of Belize (UB) campus to a new, undeveloped site has raised serious concerns. Senator Herrera highlighted that the original loan motion approved by Parliament specifically mentioned the UB campus as the designated location for the hospital.
The Motion, tabled last May, reads:
“The purpose of the Loan is to assist the Government of Belize in financing the construction of a tertiary-level hospital on the Belmopan Campus of the University of Belize which would also serve as a university hospital for medical education.”
However, as Herrera explained, the government moved forward with plans to shift the project without obtaining additional parliamentary approval or conducting a cost-benefit analysis.
“I don't recall seeing any type of revision,” Herrera said. “I remember that coming to the Senate one time, but I don't recall seeing it again.”
Speaking more directly on the cost of the land itself, Herrera questioned the financial rationale behind purchasing land at the new site, which reportedly lacks necessary infrastructure and is being acquired at a price far above market value. He argued that this expenditure of public funds lacks justification and potentially sets a precedent for inflating land prices, making property less accessible to ordinary citizens.
“You know, I think that it's a very concerning issue, and I think that the explanation that I've heard from the ministers, including the Prime Minister, have been extremely weak at best,” Herrera said. “Moving from the University of Belize (UB) campus, you know, for justifiable reasons is something that I think is understandable, but to move to a property that is located where this one is undeveloped with no type of roads or any type of infrastructure. To me, these are a lot of questions in my mind.”
The 15-acre land, which is located just outside Belmopan, was reportedly purchased by the Government for $6.9 million.
“The fact that they're paying $460,000 per acre seems way above market value in that area. I have checked several persons who deal with land in those areas, and they've all said it's not within that amount at all. So the amount certainly seems excessive.”
One real estate professional with whom The Reporter also spoke corroborated the point that the valuation is significantly higher than the area is worth.
“Now we're talking about taxpayers' dollars, and I think that government has a responsibility to make sure that they're getting value for money, and why would they be paying almost half a million dollars per acre in an area that's remote?” questioned Herrera. “I wonder how many properties they looked at. I wonder who was negotiating this agreement, and whoever was negotiating certainly should be fired, because I'm sure that they would have been able to get a much better deal.”
The Business Senator also spoke to the broader effect of this governmental decision.
“In addition to that, when government does this type of thing, what it does is it carries up the land value and takes it out of reach for ordinary citizens, because now realtors will be using that as a benchmark. So it has all types of negative effects,” admonished Herrera.
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