In an effort to bring an end to the ongoing impasse between St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) and obstetrician/gynaecologist Dr. Randall Friday, Health Commissioner Maria Buncamper-Molanus had asked the hospital to give the specialist a two-year contract to operate outside the medical institution.
During this period, the hospital could have worked on its expansion, amongst other things.
The Commissioner had also asked SMMC to review its earlier position taken with respect to a working agreement with Friday, but her latest calls for a solution has not yet reaped fruits.
The Commissioner told reporters on Wednesday that a request was also made for a review of the decision taken by the Executive Council in 2006 regarding the requirement to have a contract with the hospital. Government is expecting a response on this request in four weeks. She said guaranteeing the continuity of care for patients is the main issue at stake for her.
Friday and Scot had been locking horns for sometime over the reaching of a working agreement which will allow Friday to operate his Women’s Health Services, established in the Yogesh Complex. Friday has been unable to open the doors of his clinic in the absence of an agreement and had indicated in a press release in December that he was considering court action.
An emergency meeting on the issue in December where a solution was expected to be hammered out was also not successful, even though the Chairman of the hospital Supervisory Council had been positive about a resolution.
"I (had) emphasised the need for the hospital to review its position on this matter and issue a two-year contract (to Friday). That’s my position. There is a whole lot that has been said and done and the principal issue in this matter is that of continuity of care for the patient.
"Public health care is the primary objective here. I want to ensure that there is continuity of care for any patient who goes to any specialist and who has to be admitted to the hospital. Who better to give that care to that patient who is in the hospital than the specialist who is treating that patient," she asked. "It’s a two-way street and cooperation is needed from both parties."
She added: "We need to step aside from whatever position we have taken in the past. The situation warrants that a two-year contract be given to Friday and we will revisit the policy, and the expansion of the hospital can take place… but so far no decision has been taken for the two-year contract," the commissioner said.