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Jules Vasquez, Reporting
We've seen the rough diagram illustrating how a 38 slug traveled right across Rodwell Williams' midsection making 10 perforations in his intestines and two major arteries, but he was miraculously kept alive by a team of five doctors.

Dr. Ervin Gabourel - Gastro-enterologist
"He had 10 perforations at different levels, he practically exsanguinated himself, he lost all his blood. All the clotting factors within the blood, the platelets, all the cascade of coagulation and all these different mechanisms of defense were just washed away by you losing all that blood. So he had to be replaced with 20 units of whole blood and about 10 of plasma."

But he wouldn't have needed all that blood if the doctors had one key piece of equipment that's not available in Belize. It's called an Apherisis machine.

Marion Ali, Reporter
"There have been many deaths in Belize because we don't have this machine"?

Dr. Jorge Hidalgo, Internist/Intensive Care
"Well, definitely we have several cases and not only surgical cases but you know that we got also cancer patients where this machine can be very useful. The machine is a machine that is used to separate the different kind of products that the blood have. I this case in a conventional scenario we want to have like a platelets for a situation like that where we will need to use like 20 donors in one day only for platelets. With the machine the same amount of platelets that we can get for 20 is for one. That will save human resource."

Dr. Salvador Paguaga, General Surgeon
"Every day in KHMH, preparation is better, we can receive the same patient here. The machine is very important."

Dr. Emerson Mungia, General Surgeon
"We have about 15 kind of injury per month in Belize. This is why I want to call the attention of the authority from the Ministry of Health to try to help us to do our best job to our knowledge to deal with this kind of patient, because the intensive care at KHMH is not working as we would want it to. It could be better. A lot of the population is getting severe damage now."

And when he was flown out - that is one of the critical pieces of care that can be provided in Miami which can't be done here. Today we asked the Minister of Health if they are looking at this:

Jules Vasquez
"The machine is about US$30,000 which is the cost of a Hilux. Is this something that you will be looking at? We live in a violent country, there are many trauma cases. Are you aware that there is a need for such a thing, or it this something that you would pursue since it will help so much with the management of trauma patients?"

Hon. Pablo Marin, Minister of Health
"Well we have to look in to it because it's equipment that maybe we need, I don't know, this is the first time we are hearing about the machine."

Dr. Francis Longsworth, CEO - KHMH
"I think that there is a case to be made for such a service. Our blood bank service in general needs to be developed some more and I think that would be part of a larger expansion of service by the central medical and the blood bank."

Jules Vasquez
"In your opinion, would the acquisition of this machine meaningfully assists in the management of trauma patients? Particular gunshot trauma."

Dr. Francis Longsworth
"In certain cases yes. In critical cases like this yes. I don't not know the capital cost for the machine or what it would take to maintain it."

Jules Vasquez
"But is it something you will be willing to look at in view of that we receive 15 gunshot victims per month at the KHMH?"

Hon. Pablo Marin
"Sure, you are saying US$30,000 that is nothing compare to the lives that we are losing - or a Hilux. I am going to look in to it."

Dr. Jorge Hidalgo
"Trying to see what can be done to bring up a ampheresis machine in order to be able to have the different kinds of blood products that are needed in cases like that. Obviously it's not a secret what we are facing in a violent country."

Of the 180 gunshot victims admitted to the KHMH in 2009, 36 of them were murders....