Lesaca Esquiroz, Javier (2017). Baseline Salud Mesoamérica Belize: Health Facility Survey 2015. IDB Open Data. https://doi.org/10.60966/unmash81

1. English

What is covered by the Belize Health Facility Survey for healthcare in Belize?

The survey captures facility-level data on the Belize healthcare system, including: - Infrastructure & utilities (e.g., on-site water sources, power, sanitation) from the health facility questionnaire (hfq_data, fields like FAC_WAT, FAC_WAT_SOUR_*). - Service readiness for maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH), including staffing, records, and basic equipment. - Child health services (e.g., newborn checks, time of delivery/triage) in Child Services_data. - Diarrheal disease case management resources (e.g., availability of ORS and zinc) in diarrhea_data. - Family planning counseling & method provision indicators (e.g., counseling to reproductive-age clients) in Family Plan_data. - Complication management and low-birthweight (LBW) tracking in Complications_data and lbw_data.

How does the dataset assess facility readiness for healthcare in Belize?

Readiness is reflected by the presence of: - Core infrastructure (water, transport/FAC_MOB), equipment, and supplies (tracked across HFQ and service modules). - Medicines & diagnostics for child illnesses (e.g., ORS, zinc; see C_PH_SUP_BASIC_ORS_*, C_PH_SUP_BASIC_*ZINC_* in diarrhea_data). - Human resources & records (e.g., who conducts interviews, records kept for ANC/delivery/PP checks) in HFQ and service modules.

Which child health indicators are captured?

In Child Services_data, the dataset includes: - Newborn assessment timing (e.g., temperature, pulse, respiration timestamps). - Birth characteristics (date/time of delivery, infant sex). - Service delivery flow (triage/observation times) that inform operational capacity for child health within facilities. Combined with diarrhea_data and nutrition-related stocks, these provide operational signals for coverage of child health services.

What does the survey show about diarrhea case management for children?

The diarrhea_data module tracks stock and recent availability of: - Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) (e.g., C_PH_SUP_BASIC_ORS_1MO, _2MO, _3MO). - Zinc formulations (sulfate/gluconate; e.g., C_PH_SUP_BASIC_SULFZINC_*, C_PH_SUP_BASIC_GLUZINC_*). These fields enable facility-level assessments of adherence to IMCI-aligned diarrhea treatment readiness—key for healthcare in Belize.

How is family planning service delivery represented?

Family Plan_data includes whether reproductive-age clients receive: - Counseling (FP_REP_AGE_COUNSEL), - Methods (FP_REP_AGE_METHOD), - Problem management/referral (FP_REP_AGE_PROBLEMS). This helps quantify service quality and continuity for family planning within Belize facilities.

What maternal and newborn service indicators are available?

Across service modules: - Antenatal/postnatal records presence and counts (MRR_RECORDS_*, MRR_ANC_NUM). - Delivery and immediate newborn checks (e.g., timestamps for APGAR proxies, weight/height/temp checks). - Complication management (e.g., emergency readiness in Complications_data) and LBW tracking in lbw_data.

How can this dataset be used to improve healthcare in Belize?

Stakeholders can: - Benchmark readiness across facility types and districts (HFQ + service modules). - Identify supply gaps (ORS, zinc, essential equipment) that affect child health outcomes. - Strengthen referral pathways by analyzing time-to-assessment measures for mothers/newborns. - Target investments for water/sanitation, cold chain, or staffing where bottlenecks are evident.

Does the survey distinguish urban/rural or district-level differences?

Yes. Facility identifiers and district fields (e.g., dist_num, dist_name) support geographic disaggregation, enabling comparisons of readiness and service indicators across regions to address health equity in healthcare in Belize.

Are private facilities included?

The dataset focuses on facilities sampled under the Salud Mesoamérica 2015 design. Coverage of private/community sites may be limited; always consult the sampling notes/metadata within the workbook to confirm inclusion.

What are the main limitations of the dataset?

• It is a facility-based snapshot (single time period) and does not directly measure population-level outcomes.
• Some entries are self-reported or dependent on records, introducing reporting bias.
• Cause-specific outcomes (e.g., etiologies of infant deaths) are not assigned; the data focus on readiness and processes, not definitive outcomes.

Who implemented and analyzed the survey?

The survey was conducted in collaboration with the Government of Belize and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) conducted data quality checks and analyses to ensure robust, comparable facility indicators for healthcare in Belize.

What are the key findings of the latest health facility assessment in Belize?

The 2015 Mesoamérica Health Facility Survey found that while most facilities had basic infrastructure such as electricity and clean water, gaps remained in equipment availability and emergency obstetric readiness, especially in rural districts.

What is the current state of healthcare infrastructure in Belize?

Survey data showed that urban facilities, particularly in Belize City, had higher availability of essential equipment and medicines. Rural clinics often lacked diagnostic tools and faced challenges with consistent supply chains.

How does Belize measure the quality of its rural health centers?

The survey used standardized service availability and readiness indicators, including staffing levels, equipment inventories, and essential medicine stocks. Rural centers scored lower on readiness compared to urban hospitals.

Why are health facility surveys important for Belize's public health policy?

These surveys provide evidence on infrastructure gaps, staffing shortages, and service readiness. Policymakers use them to prioritize investments in maternal and child health services and to align with PAHO regional benchmarks.