New members of the Belize forum, introduce yourself here

^And you won't.  Belizeans and e mails clash. Face to face is their thing. Sometimes telephones. Except on occasion the Belize Medical Council doesn't answer the phone especially from 11:30 to 1:30.PM. I am also semi retired MD. I worked gainfully from 05 to 07 and again 09 to 11. The song and dance in getting a license was truly an experience. There is a shortage of GPs and just about everything else but logic and Belize are oxymorons. I hired a consulting firm in Belize CIty called Santiago Gomez ISL  to assist but that went nowhere. This was to establish some rural clinics. The government controls that by importing Cubans with inferior training IMO. But then by chance a neighbour had connections that landed me a teaching job at Belize Medical College. Except the paycheck was NSF. After that the same neighbour arranged a lunch meeting with several ministers for reasons unknown except that after that I was driven to the home of the deputy PM at the time to check on his father who had a CVA.  As "luck" would have it I did have a meeting with the Council where a dentist who owns lots of land where my clinics were to be questioned the validity of my MD degree from McGill. The pathologist next to him said it was on parchment paper and was fine. So I then was granted a temporary practitioner cert. as I was not a permanent resident. I only got that because I was hired by the Bethesda Medical Centre (now closed) in Corozal and they sponsored me. After that I was hired without a license to work in a clinic in Orange Walk but the owner who was a neurologist was also a district PUP rep. From there on I worked in other clinics and also on my own without a license or work permit. However by then I had treated a high up bureaucrat who was cousin to the health minister. That's how things roll in Belize.
On the plus side the locals were always pleasant to deal with and had interesting diseases....Dengue,RHD, leishmaniasis, post strep glomerulonephritis, ricketts, etc.
Conclusion: The Banana Republic of Belize,which has criteria for a failing state, is a crime ridden, inefficient, corrupt and impoverished country with inferior infrastructure. This includes medical services. There is reason why IL has reduced their scores. You won't see much of this on a visit and then only after removal of rose coloured eyewear handed to you by relocation "experts" and developers. (Sanctuary Belize being the worst offender). My advice is to retire to Panama or Mexico and keep hold of your sanity. There are teaching and perhaps other  opportunities but a medical Spanish immersion course would be a plan.

Thank you so much for your reply.
I had envisioned that the medical community would be more receptive to 'help' from physicians who could potentially take some of the work load without taking 'paying patients'. I guess in  many ways, it is a lot like the Bahamas. I had a similar experience there, though I could have worked for $ at Princess Margaret in Nassau, I elected not to.
I don't have to work in Belize, but I thought I might donate my time and medical experience for the good of the community. I may reconsider my relocation plans, as it seems Belize is not very receptive to improving their healthcare, or their status as a developing country.
I can speak some Spanish, but my wife doesn't, which might present a temporary problem for her, but not insurmountable.
Thaks again for the info.

Good Luck
Belize has a long way to go in many aspects. But it is a growing country and a very attractive place for retirement.
A visit ,and learning first hand, gaining some experience from the stay may be helpful

I'm curious as to the procedure of getting a perscription for medication I'm on long-term.  Is a script from my doctor here in Canada enough for them to fill a perscription or do I have to go see a doctor there before they'll dispense it.  Does anyone know how this will work?

Welcome to the blog, sorry can't help you, but I'm sure there are others here that might be able to.  I'm not sold on the  Best Countries lists....when we first started looking at retirement spots in March of THIS years, Belize was on the top 15 places to retire on my MSN news page.  That is how I found out about Belize and so since then it has taken a nose dive in the "polls"  SO. Either they (the people doing the reporting in March) or someone has really pissed someone off some where.  I keep listening to all the x-pats, reading the local San Pedro News and deciding for myself.  We'll be there in August to scout out the area and I already feel like I've made some nice on-line friends down there, hope to meet them face to face some day!  Good luck in your search!

I just finished reading Dr.Al s posting. He is right on most of everything. But (there is always a but) when you go to a foreign country you play by their rules. Same for a Dr from another country coming to US.In US  each State require their own license and each hospital wants one to be credentialed before you see the first patient. I was denied a license even though i was a practicing anesthesiologist. I will try one more time.
Other aspects of Belize have been discussed in detail on this forum.
Before buying a product one need read about it carefully analyze  what could be behind those sugar coated commercials which does not tell you the negatives . Is it not the same in personal relationships ,politics ,super markets, Airlines etc etc.
If you are naive you are asking for trouble. Impulse buying and hasty decisions will land you in hot water.
Having said all that I like Belize and I believe it is a nice place to live and retire. Caution is the word ,but I guess that will apply to any thing you do.

Most pharmacies outside Belize City do not require a prescription. So you do not need to see an MD. You can take the Rx with you and show the pharmacist the script so he can hopefully read the drug name. At all the four clinics I worked at we just passed out the meds if the request appeared reasonable and were not narcotics or benzos. But most of the time we had seen the person prior.
Drug costs are less but not all drugs are available so if someone say wanted Celexa  and we only had Zoloft  or was on  Atenolol and we only had Metoprolol we had to figure out the equivalent doses. So you need to make sure that there is a pharmacist and not a clerk around especially in rural ares

So...
I am probably not going to practice Medicine in Belize. That's fine by me. I will confine it to family. I did ER for 20 yrs and I can do without it. It's not why I am moving to Belize anyway, but it does give me a good indication of the political atmosphere.
I read some earlier posts. I am apparently a minimalist Republican, as I believe in personal responsibility and personal freedom, as well as personal liability. I DON'T believe in a large, socialist, 'nanny' Federal government that controls everything, which has a lot to do with why I am relocating. In a republic, like the US or a British-derived Commonwealth, with a capitalist system, as opposed to a utopian socialist society, the consumer or end-user pays the profit for the company, it is not taken at the expense of labor and labor rates - Dr Al was very mistaken in that respect.
We have spent some time all around the Caribbean, and I still believe Belize is my best option. We are going for the experience of the climate, the fishing, hiking, boating, exploring... We will initially have a small farm and some horses, and be self-sufficient. No alarm clock. No schedule. No staffing crisis. No headhunters.
Looking forward to it.

Hi Karenjoe
Wonderful posting. Have you decided where in Belize you are planning to stay?
I am in Golden Stream. Toledo District.
If you are interested in getting licensed ,then please call Ms. White 501 223 1548 (-the number is for Karl hustner Hospital ),they will connect you to Ms White who is secretary for Dr Goff who is currently running the show. I have talked with him in the past,never met him.
The council meet couple of times an year. Ms White will know when they have the next meeting when they interview candidates for license. -there is no fixed schedule.
My interest is life support and may be Anesthesia practice.
I think it may be critical for somebody in serious trouble to get help in time.
I am in the south . I am hoping I may be able to help somebody some day.
Like you I do not want to get tied up with any kind of medical practice.

You need to do more research I think. Let's look at empirical data. Belize is in comparison to the rest of the region (  this being C.A. plus Mexico) has the following easily verifiable indices:
Most expensive electricity and internet.(when they work).  For the latter among the slowest globally a notch above Mozambique.
The second highest homicide rate.
Seriously poor infrastructure. A Belizean road is a contradiction in terms
Lousy commodity and amenity acquisition (as confirmed by ILscores )
A hot humid climate condusive to personal fungal infestation and electronic corrosion
The highest per capita consumption of alcohol and cannabis. The highest AIDS rates.
The most corrupt government on earth (along with Western Sahara and South Sudan)as evidenced by transparency international.(inferred data)
80% of ex pats  report being victims of home invasion or theft and are targets for such acts
Generally the most expensive country by far in the region and I have lived for albeit lesser periods in Ecuador, Panama and Playa Del Carmen MX
And certainly in comparison to the above states a medical system one notch above stone knives and bear skins.
You can do all that you wish in say Boquete or Cuenca with a lot loss headache.
Forget the Carribean there is Panama or Costa Rica also
Trust me. I'm a doctor. Lol.

My phone number is 443 370 9462 .I am in NC ,will go back to Belize in June.

P/S Mrs White is a very nice lady. Good luck in contacting her. In fairness to the council they were burned very badly apparently by an unqualified surgeon who botched up and took off. I do not recall where he was from. I have had very bad experiences with the Min. of  Health fondness for Cubans.One dude I relieved off am shift had a case with RUQ abdominal pain. He had loaded her with analgesics/antipyretics so there was no clinical way of tracking her. So I sent her quickly to OW but in her husbands car as no ambulance could be located.Naturally her appendix ruptured on the way. Plus hunting down the surgeon and gas passer was a real treat. But she made it in spite of the Belize health care system
Next 911 is a country wide joke. Had a case over in Consejo who sliced his leg with a bush hog. 911 led to an ambulance arriving 1hour and 15 min. later. He had a tourniquet. The "paramedics"loaded him on the ambulance but only tried inserting an IV while it was in motion. On the Consejo road no less. He lost his leg and I saw him for pain control. He initiated a civil suit but I don't know the outcome.
I have more stories that make these seem like light reading.
You sure you want to relocate there?

My name is Tonja Wortham.  My husband and I have raised five children and built a successful business, and we are ready for a new chapter in our lives.  We are moving to Ambergris Caye in Belize.

We are looking for a short term rental suggestions
Real estate broker suggestions
New Expats suggestions

Thank you!

We recently purchased on Ambergris Caye.  We used Sunrise Reality and were very pleased with the process.  They went above and beyond in helping us search for what we wanted.  They made the closing process so smooth.  Highly recommend their office and I had spoken to and met with a few others before we chose them!  Good luck on your search.  Feel free to contact me if I can help!

Thanks for your response. We will be staying at the Macaroni Hill Inn in the Alta Vista area June 20-24. We are primarily looking for some property in the NE/E Maya mountains off the Hummingbird Highway for a number of reasons,  and have about 6 properties we are seriously interested in. We are also looking at a couple of properties in Toledo as well. I do have some interest in acquiring more property later.
I appreciate the info on licensing; I will get in touch with her as my plans evolve. I also have no desire to have a private practice, and my specialty choice reflects that, as is probably true for you as well.  There are a lot of similarities in our practice choices, and thus I am sure personalities also. I would like to practice for the good of the community, not for any financial gain. We will see how it goes. Again, it is not my reason for moving to Belize.
We are, and have been, happy anywhere we go in the world, and I doubt Belize would be any different. I believe that Belize offers opportunities not found elsewhere in the Caribbean, including opportunities in  eco-business, sustainable agriculture, tourism and others, but mostly for me  R & R. I am unconcerned about the quality of the roads,  if there are roads, the weather doesnt bother me  I live in the deep south, I dont plan to eat caviar and drink donPerignon since we will be self-sustaining for the most part, so those costs shouldnt be a big issue.
I think we will be OK.

Hi Karenjoe
Good luck with your property hunting

You may wish to read these blogs...
http://belizebritts.wordpress.com/2011/12/16/181/http://belizebritts.wordpress.com/2013/ … rspective/
He is from Tennessee so his credibility may be greater. I have found that USA ex pats in Belize are there because they dislike America. The Canadians because they dislike winter. The few Brits I met were ex military BATSUB who like Belizean women.
I teach a med school course on cross cultural medicine and with students visit Nicaragua every June. So my interest in Belize for comparitive study.(the Min.of Health in Belize was not helpful with regard to student training.) I also use Nigeria since I lived there for 6months after training.
For anyone who asks (and who insist Belize is paradise regained) I recommend Corozal district because of proximity to Chetumal which has first rate medical services and commodity acquisition as well. However Corozal  has gotten very crime ridden since I left.

Thanks for the info. I will follow-up in the near future. My plans are pretty fluid at this point. We will see what type response I get.

where is AltaVist and macaroni hill ?
Thanks

Karen Joe   plz do yourself a favor and really heed Dr Al.   Check out all his postings.   His assessment of the situation, personal experiences and linking of cause & effect are ACCURATE.   Ignore at your peril.    Your political polemic will not be welcomed by the Belizeans or half of the ex-pat community.  There are some  who will agree with you, and they will exploit you financially as quickly as the people who disagree with your opinions.   Bon Chance.

Dr. Al, how long did you live in Belize?  When did you leave?

^from April05 till Oct 07 and again from Aug 09 until April11

Dr Al, I'm sure you are right about all the bad things you experienced in Belize. But do you think you have an accurate perspective, or maybe you were just burned? Is there no good that you can see in Belize? Like maybe the internet is slow, but the air is clean? Or there is lots of crime, but really friendly neighbors? It might be humid and hot, but the water is refreshing and beautiful? I'm trying to make a decision based on balanced information? Something must have made you come back the second time. And something must have turned you off for good.

Fair question. I enjoyed the easy manner and friendly nature of the locals.(though they tend to view you as a mobile ATM often). We liked spoiling a few neighbour kids with lunches, toys and shoes. As an MD I liked the patients I saw as they seemed very gracious. I learned everything I needed to know about Belize from a taxi driver and an editorial writer for the Amandala paper.And under ideal circumstances they would rather be where we are. Belize is an interesting place to visit. Archaeology, reefs, jungle etc. Cambodia and Morrocco were interesting also but I would not wish to live there. Part of the problem was my traditional intolerance of inefficiency and ineptitude. Not just in the medical arena but in general. So it was a culture clash. A bad marriage if you will.
After all the Belizers like to say it's not for everybody. No place is. But Panama and also parts of Mexico were pretty close. And the language was never an issue. Retirement should not be a struggle in my view. There are just too many deprivations and hassles in Belize. It's as though the GOB could not care less if you were interested in their country. Panama was a breath of fresh air in this regard (pun intended). You can hack it in Belize if you have a very thick skin. But this is not my idea of RandR.
All the data and stats I provided are easily acquired with a little research. And unlike many Belizophiles I have no financial interest in promotion or demotion.
Now just the other night I attended my neighbour who has pretty bad COPD and needed more than I could provide. I called 911 and timed 6 minutes. And the  paramedics are first rate. They were pretty good in Chetumal MX and David PA also and the vehicles were amazingly well equipped.
Not all my Belize  experiences were bad but on the second run the dismal failure of the primitive  trauma/ER services was the final straw. It left me with the feeling that people who currently think Belize is paradise must have a death wish.

Thank you for that Dr. Al. I hope you find your paradise and really enjoy your R&R sounds like you deserve it after all the ugliness you've encountered.   God Bless.

Dr Al is accurate.   If "balance " for you means, comparing meaningful matters  to the trivial then there is no problem.   Issues of healthcare and safety of person & property are important. 

If you think you know more than Dr. Al, then do as you please.    Visit Belize to see for yourself, but leave before you experience all the significant problems that Dr Al mentions.  If you are here a week or a month the inability to buy produce that is not from Mexico (thus chemically enhanced) will not be an issue.   If you never need health care, with an accurate diagnosis and appropriate medications, this will not be an issue.   If you tolerate very high heat & humidity, this will not be an issue.  If you go back to your air conditioned hotel room  the high heat and humidity will not be a problem.   If you are here a very short time the extraordinary cost of electricity will not bother you.   If you do not mind water pipes full of algae providing the water in your shower and sink, then it will be OK.  If you are OK with dirty sea water, it is no problem to dip in the Bay.   If you are here a month the government corruption will only be a problem if your purse is stolen & you will not mind paying the exit fees to go to Mexico to shop.   I love Belize even with its problems.  I also enjoy many of the expat community here.   However I know there are better places in the Caribbean because I have been there.

Wow kristinanadreau, I don't believe anyone here has said they know more than anyone else.  Most of us here are from outside Belize and we would just like information.  It was a fair question for lorreann to ask.  Dr. Al really has constantly stated the negatives and there certainly seems to be plenty of them, but you obviously still like it.  Perhaps others will too, and must, as there are blogs and posts daily from folks that are enjoying their lives even with all the ugliness reported.  lorreann now has heard the good with the bad and she will have to come down and decide for herself as will all of us.

Newbie on the Belize forum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi all,
We are a married couple, living in Belgium, my wife, Machteld is 63, she was a nurse, long time ago.
She had to stop working for medical reasons.
My name is Roger, 60, was in the Belgian Airforce till the age of 43, doing search and rescue by helicopters, mainly above the North Sea. My job was Flight engineer and hoist operator.
At this time, I work as an expat all over the world, in a private company. Mainly in Africa and South America.
I am chief engineer on helicopters. We offer transportation to and from oil rigs offshore.

My wife and I travelled around the world, doing home exchange "house swapping", so we are very open minded.
At this time, we are looking for a place, to retire. The planning is to visit some places, stay there during some time "hire" and buy a property later, to move permanently.
We love the tropics and my wife needs a warmer climate for her health.
We both love nature, the sea, boating, snorkeling, fishing, birding......
We speak Dutch, French, English, German, and are willing to learn Spanish. We would like to integrate with the locals, but also taste  the advantage, having social contacts with other expats.
We would like to start a new life, back to the basics and enjoy every minute.....
Both of us together have a monthly pension, coming from our home country of 4000 US dollar 
We think Belize could be an option, our daughter visited Belize, and told us, she could live there.......
Nature, the way of living and specially the friendly people are where very positive.

All advice very welcome

GRTZ

Roger

ps: sorry for the faults in my English writing, but this is my 3th language

Hi Mommy2all6,

How do you like living on Ambergris Caye so far? My husband and I are planning a visit in August to explore the possibility.  Thx

Welcome
Only way to decide  is To come and stay in Belize for a while.Deferent parts of the country offer something deferent,weather can be pleasant to not too pleasant depending on seasons. You have plenty of info available in multiple Forums. Opinions vary from extremely positive to very extremely negative depending on one,s out look and expectations. Country is not rich by any standard. Most of the people are not well educated. So you have problems that go along with poverty and lack of education.
So welcome and have fun while searching for a place for retirement

Alta Vista is on Hummingbird Hwy around mile 15. I don't remeber if Macaroni Hill is in Pomona, around mile 12, or Alta Vista.
I have read a lot of Dr Al's posts,as well as a number of others, and some  blogs as well.  I make my decisions based on my own personal experienices, not on what other people tell me.
I don't think there is such a place as pardise, but since happiness comes from within, I think anywhere could be paradise.
I have no desire to move to Belize to start a family, or raise a family, or start a business, or start a new career, or practice Medicine. If any of those things come about as a consequence, then so be it, but my plans involve fishing, hiking, small scale farming, kayaking, horseback riding, ruins exploring, and siesta taking. We intend to be off grid and self-sufficient, so I expect we will be fairly unobtrusive. And yes Dr AL, I can do all of my own electrical work and plumbing, etc.- as a minimalist republican I have to be able to.
I hope that my encounters with the inefficient government offices are more infrequent than my encounters with the inefficient US government offices here.
I do also plan to maintain some property in the US for return visits and such, so that we can return here for any reason if need be. I don't plan to cut all ties - we have 4 daughters here. We do however, plan to enjoy ourselves in Belize, and don't need any rose colored glasses to do so.

Wonderful
I will be in Belize from June 21 st to ?
If you are coming to south please visit (ph# 732 4014)
Web site www.belizespicefarm.com

As  CEO of the ABRO (anti Belize relocation organization)I worked closely by e communication with a Belgian fellow few years back who got  it to his mind to move to the Banana  Republic of Belize. Unlike right wing anti American Americans he was a very logical thinker and ended up retiring to Spain. That made infinitely more sense. He could still enjoy Belgian beer in Malaga and cheap red wine. I wrote the following item to him..
"Belize society as a traditional destination for pirates, rebels, and fugitives is characterized by government corruption and ineptness and flexible or non existent rules of conduct. This makes it ideal for USA republicans who enjoy minimal government and taxes for a social safety net for the indigenous folk  and who can also  ignore poverty and suffering.However only criminals can own guns.
You have to be a minimalist. This means you need to find adventure in what might take hours to acquire Parmesan cheese, fresh mushrooms and un wilted green beans.and then settle on only 1 species of beer. After all that you need to know how to install a fuel pump in 1997 Isuzu Rodeo and jury rig the shocks that blew out on the goat path roads...."
I have only been to Belgium once but any country that can brew beer that good has to be inhabited by rational clear thinkers and not DIY romanticists.

We will be in Toledo on the 22nd, I believe, and we will try to visit, thanks!
We are looking forward to our visit, and wish we could make it longer, but we will be back in October as well.

I live in Belize.  I love Belize.  I loved the USA, when I lived there.   I have traveled extensively in Europe and Asia.  In the USA, I lived in Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, both northern and southern California, Georgia and then Aruba in the dutch Antilles.   The only location I disliked was Georgia.   The culture was not to my liking.   My husband has a wonderful step-mother and sister in Birmingham, Alabama.  I am retired, my husband is not.  He has a break even office in Corozal and also does contract work in the USA to support the household.    Since my husband is originally from the Caribbean, & I was happy every minute with Aruba.   we always knew we would come to the Caribbean to live.   That is how we came to Belize.  Caribbean & affordable.    I enjoy most of the expats I meet here.  All are interesting adventurers or they would have stayed in their country of origin.   I have met wonderful Belizeans also..   I have gotten along well with most of the people wherever I have lived.   About Belize, .....with sufficient finances to provide a cushion from the difficult parts of living here, it is possible to be happy & comfortable here.  When the vehicle falls apart 3 times as fast as it would in the USA, buy another.    too hot and humid, pay the high prices for air conditioning.  etc    All of the issues in Belize can be accommodated, if there is adequate finance.   

Because I enjoy living here I am not blind to the facts about the issues in Belize.  Facts are facts, not opinions.   A high murder rate and a low rate of crime solving is real.   It is a fact to be considered and coped with.   a friend of mine was stabbed to death in a home invasion in a high end enclave here in Belize.  this remains unsolved.   this is a fact I find noteworthy.  As a non voting ex-pat I can do little here to help.  so I do what I can.  Little things.   I rescue a starving dog.    a small group of us support the school fees of a few kids, so they can get an education and make a contribution to their country.   I make it a point to be interested in all that is going on in our little community.   We passed out computers to the schools and water filters to a few villages.    We have pot lucks and womens clubs and Rotary and the Masons.   

I believe it is possible to be happy and content wherever one is...  Some places are easier than others.   Belize has real issues.    Dr Al may be acerbic in his verbiage, which does not contradict his facts.  so to Karen and Joe and all others coming to check out this little country, welcome to the experience.

Hi Everybody,

Now we are completely off topic here.

I remind you that the initial subject of this discussion is New members of the Belize forum, introduce yourself here.

So, can we keep this topic for the introduction of the new members please?

However, i wish a warm welcome to all new members and i thank them for their introduction. 

Priscilla

Hi Karenjoe
My ph # is 732 4014 in case you like to talk. I will be in Belize from 21st of June

Hi,
My name is Queenie K and I currently live in USA and am planning my move to Belize. I am a retired military officer and look forward to a relaxed fun retirement atmosphere. I'm in the very beginning stages. 

Hi Queeniek
Plenty of info are available on this forum . Many actually offer personal guidance