The First Seminar of the SINT MAARTEN SENIORS AND PENSIONERS ASSOCIATION (SMSPA) will be held on January 17th and 18th 2011, at the Belair Community Center in Cay Hill, Sint Maarten. The seminar is first of all for the members of the association. Invitations have been also sent to the leadership of the local labour unions and the leadership of seniors organizations of the neighbouring islands of Saba, Sint Eustatius, Sint Kitts Nevis and Anguilla.
This seminar will be dealing with the following topics:
1. How to increase the income of seniors and pensioners:
a. how to increase purchasing power of seniors
b. how to pull seniors out of poverty
2. How to improve the health care for seniors and their family members:
a. how to eliminate discrimination in sickness insurance packages
b. how to get free health care for seniors
Main speakers / panelists from private and public sector will present their views.
· Neil Henderson of HENDERSON INSURANCES in representation of the private insurance companies ENNIA, FATUM, NAGICO and GULF INSURANCES, will inform the participants which pension and additional income products and services can be offered to seniors and/or their family members and which other solutions can be thought of to improve the products to be offered. On the second day he will present the various health insurance packages and services of the private sector insurance companies especially with the seniors and pensioners of Sint Maarten and their familymembers in mind.
· drs Jorien Wuite, Acting Secretary Genera, and staff members of the MINISTRY OF PUBLIC HEALTH, SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND LABOUR will elaborate on the first day upon the public pension system in Country Sint Maarten. On the second day she will talk about the quality of the health care in Sint Maarten, the elimination of the discrimination in sickness insurance packages and the preparations for the National Health Insurance System for Country Sint Maarten.
· drs Raymond Jessurun, 1st vice-president of the Sint Maarten Seniors and Pensioners Association, will give his views on the discrimination in old age pensions, the discrimination in health care quality and the discrimination in basic health insurance packages in the Kingdom of the Netherlands as a violation of fundamental human rights. He will deal more in particular with the question whether elimination of the discrimination or equalization of old age pensions, health care quality and basic health insurance packages in the Kingdom, in particular here in Sint Maarten, is possible.
These presentations will be further discussed in the work group sessions and with the panel at the end of each day.
Undoubtedly these topics will generate a lot of interest locally and in the neighbouring islands of the Caribbean, and in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, especially now that the islands Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius have become Dutch municipalities, and Sint Maarten and Curacao have become countries.
The finances to cover the expenses of this seminar are provided by local sponsors which make it possible that this seminar can be held at the Belair Community Center and the presentations and the panel discussions can be televised after the seminar, on a local cable channel.
On behalf of
the Sint Maarten Seniors and Pensioners Association (SMSPA)
Patricia Flanders Carl Cooner
President SMSPA SMSPA Secretary of Education
Tel 5424064 / 5202136 Tel 5424845
Raymond Jessurun John Sandiford
1st Vice-President SMSPA SMSPA Treasurer
Tel 5484529 / 09-5615035 Tel. 5249455