Recent changes in Guatemala laws and regulations, some only now being enforced, and others being interpreted differently than in years past; mean Health Talents must pursue a change in licensure. Instead of a clinic providing medical, dental and occasional surgical care, we will now be licensed as a hospital even though we will continue our model of providing monthly surgical care and year-round medical and dental care.
Obtaining this license will require us to construct a sanitation treatment plant approved by the environmental licensing board, dedicate and equip a room as an ER and contract with locally licensed healthcare professionals to serve as consulting regents. These regents include physicians with specialties in anesthesia, internal medicine and surgery. Additional regents encompass pharmacy and lab services.
Since we cannot provide surgical care without a license, even as we continue offering a level of compromised care due to Covid-19, our Board of Directors has decided to use the remainder of 2021 to remodel Clinica Ezell and Clinica Caris. So yes, all surgical trips for 2021 are canceled.
Plans are underway to welcome surgical teams in 2022, the twentieth anniversary of Clinica Ezell's original opening.