Medical Council warns that Dr. Abraham Flowers is not licensed to practice medicine

The Medical Council of Belize has expressed concerns over televised statements made by Dr. Abraham Flowers who admitted to treating patients.  The concerns are rooted in the fact that Flowers is not a registered or licensed medical practitioner in Belize.  He was on a local talk show this morning admitting that he had treated a woman with diabetes who had been bitten by a rat. The Medical Council explained to our newsroom that, though he may be qualified, Flowers is not licensed to practice in Belize. Registrar of the Council, Dr. John Waight, confirmed that there were 598 medical practitioners in the country as of March 31, and that Flowers was not one of them. 

Dr. John Waight: “Medical doctor is somebody who has a recognized the medical degree. Medical practitioner is in Belize is a medical doctor who is registered to practice in Belize and so can legally practice. Now Mr. Flowers or Dr. Flowers he does have a medical degree but he is not registered to practice medicine in Belize. Somebody would have to make a formal representation to the medical council, preferably with documentary evidence, and then the council would have to proceed. It might be viewed as a prima facie example of illegal practice, but that would have to be determined, right?  If you look at the law, the law says if it comes to the attention of the council but then of course that would be after some if not a lot of discussion, you see. To practice medicine in Belize you have to be a medical practitioner, i.e. you registered to legally practice. And my advice to the general public would be to follow that. To receive medical treatment from registered medical practitioners.”

We note that administering medical treatment without a license is an offence under the Medical Practice Act, Chapter 318 of the Laws of Belize. Under Section 2(C) of the Act, anyone who engages in the practice of medicine without a license is liable on summary conviction to a fine of fifty thousand dollars or to imprisonment for a term of ten years, or to both.  Flowers has been in the news several times over the past few years, assisting high schools with setting up robotics programs, and is slated to run as a caretaker for the United Democratic Party at the Port Loyola convention this weekend