On Friday, December 11th 2015, Minister of Public Health, Social Development & Labor, Mr. Emil Lee met with members of the Health tripartite working group tasked with achieving a sustainable solution for hospital care on Sint Maarten, while addressing the current financial and operational situation of parties. Naturally, a focus on the range and quality of services offered was a critical part of the discussion. The main topic of discussion was developing concrete plans for the construction and further development of the St. Maarten Medical Center.
One of the first priorities of the working group is to develop a healthy business model for the operation, of what will become our National Hospital. Some fundamental changes in the relationship and structure of the St. Maarten Medical Center is necessary to accomplish this landmark transformation. A key feature of this new business model will be a change in the tariffs set for the services performed by the current Medical Center. Currently, the tariffs create operational losses for the SMMC. The new SMMC needs to be based on a sustainable financial model.
In keeping with Minister Lee’s vision of openness and transparency, the tripartite agreed that the design development and construction of the hospital needs to be done in an inclusive, open and transparent manner.