Belize and the Republic of China (Taiwan) jointly hold forum in Belize to share CKD prevention and control experiences with regional partners

January 23, 2019, BELIZE CITY, BELIZE—

The governments of Belize and the Republic of China (Taiwan) are pleased to co-announce that the first bilateral project of public health, “The Capacity Building Project for the Prevention and Control of Chronic Renal Failure in Belize”, has been completed with great success. To share the project achievements and experiences with the regional partners in Central America and the Caribbean, a “Forum on Chronic Kidney Disease--the Belize Experience” will be held at Ramada Princess Hotel in Belize City on January 24th and 25th, 2019.

In its inception, the Renal Failure Prevention Project was signed by Ministry of Health (MOH) of Belize and Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in 2016 and has been implemented by MOH and the International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF) since then, who as co-hosts of the forum will send their representatives to give presentation about the project.

To enhance the experience sharing, the hosts invite partners of the prevention and control of chronic kidney diseases (CKD) in Central America and the Caribbean region to attend the forum which is divided into the following four themes: the global burden of CKD, health education for CKD, trends of medical care for CKD and dialysis patients and case management of CKD. The speakers of forum come from representatives of Honduras, St. Kitts and Nevis, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Taiwan, Ministry of Health and local organizations in Belize.

Hon. Angel Campos, Minister of State of Health (Belize), and H.E. Remus Li-Kuo Chen, Ambassador of Republic of China (Taiwan) are the VIP guests invited to make opening remarks. The representatives from the MOH of Belize and medical personnel benefiting from the Project will also share their experiences and achievements in the past three years. In addition, the TaiwanICDF invites Dr. Shang-Jyh Hwang, Chairman of Committee of CKD Prevention in Taiwan, to present Taiwan’s experiences and strategies in CKD prevention and control. Furthermore, representatives from aforementioned countries will share CKD prevention and control experience from their own countries.

Since February 2016, the Project has significantly improved the capacity of healthcare personnel for CKD related medical care, health education and released data on the prevalence of CKD in Belize for the first time on record through epidemiological study. Furthermore, the Project has created the “CKD Information System” to enhance the Belize Health Information System (BHIS), leading to better tracking and management of CKD patients and high-risk groups in Belize.

As the year 2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic ties between Belize and Taiwan, our Embassy is pleased to see the project coming to its fruition and the upcoming forum as the kick-off event for our series of activities all year round to celebrate the strong and robust friendship between Belize and Taiwan.