Minister of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI) Hon. Maurice Lake on Wednesday received a presentation from Director of the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC), Kees Klarenbeek, Erica van der Horst, and Chairman of the Board SMMC Izzy Gertsenbluth about the expansion of the Hospital in Cay Hill.
Minister Lake also used the opportunity to inform SMMC board and management that he has established a committee within Ministry VROMI to facilitate the process leading to the expansion of the 23-year old medical center.
SMMC is currently in the preliminary drawing phase. The new hospital should be able to serve the Sint Maarten community up to 2030 and beyond with the investments that are to be made between now and 2023, the latter being the third phase with the hospital having an area of 15,000 square meters.
SMMC with current room capacity of approximately 60, at the end of phase 1 expansion will have 101 rooms, moving from 5500 square meters to 10,000 square meters. This phase is expected to be completed in 2016.
SMMC first phase expansion is focused on improving the quality of healthcare for the people of the country; to be able to offer more specialisms; to offer services to the public entities of the Netherlands namely Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius; to also provide services to the North side of the island (St. Martin); and to reduce the transfer of patients having to leave the country for medical care abroad.
"I was very pleased on Wednesday with the vision that SMMC management presented in a meeting I had with them. SMMC is on the right track and moving upward. Basic health care must be guaranteed at all times for the people of this country, and in my back to basics approach, the people of this country as well as visitors must have a facility that meets their needs.
"Ministry VROMI is ready to provide assistance to SMMC in an advisory capacity in facilitating the permit process and the first meeting is scheduled for Thursday. In my no-nonsense approach, I like to see things moving forward and of course according to the rules and procedures.
"I was also pleased to learn that SMMC management will be using green technology such as solar panels in order to lower its foot print on the environment.
I thank them for their vision and forward thinking, because this is the upward way to go in securing the peoples public health facility that meets the needs of the community in the 21st century.
"I would like to use this opportunity to thank Member of Parliament Hon. Theo Heyliger for his role that he played in securing the Naf.30 million needed for the phase 1 expansion of the people’s hospital," Minister Hon. Maurice Lake said on Wednesday.
PHOTO CUTLINE: Minister Hon. Maurice Lake (left), SMMC Erica van der Horst (3rd from right), SMMC Director Kees Klarenbeek (2nd from right), and Chairman of the SMMC Board Izzy Gertsenbluth (1st from right), and members of the Ministers Cabinet.