Dutch Minister of Public Health visits SMMC

CAY HILL: Honorable Minister of the Dutch Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and Sports (VWS) Ernst Kuipers and VWS State Secretary Maarten van Ooijen paid a working visit to St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) Tuesday, December 20th, 2022.

During the visit, Minister Kuipers and State Secretary van Ooijen were given a presentation that provided an introduction to SMMC, an overview of projects made possible by the Trust Fund, and an update on the St. Maarten General Hospital (SMGH) project as well as an insight into the Dutch Caribbean Health Care Alliance (DCHA). The focus of the presentation was mainly on SMMC’s efforts to procure and provide high-quality healthcare to its patients from St. Maarten, Saba, and St. Eustatius. The presentation was followed by a tour of SMMC’s facilities.

Forming part of the delegation were Herbert Barnard, Gert-Jan Rietveld, Bob Harms of Zorg en Jeugd Caribisch Nederland (ZJCN) and Chris Johnson, Head of the Dutch Representation Office (VPN) on St. Maarten. 

Reflecting on the visit, SMMC’s Medical Director, Dr. Felix Holiday said “It was our pleasure to host the Minister and the State Secretary for their first working visit to SMMC. They were impressed by the work done by the entire team at SMMC as well as the strides made with the establishment of the Dutch Caribbean Health Care Alliance. We look forward to continued collaboration with the Ministry of VWS, ZJCN, and all of our healthcare partners within the Kingdom”.

Minister Kuipers and State Secretary Van Ooijen also mentioned that “It was great to see how SMMC is constantly developing to improve their care and expand the available care they offer to patients in the region”.

###