SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - The Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor Omar Ottley, on behalf of the government of Sint Maarten, recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreement with the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport of the Netherlands, Ernst Kuipers in order to structure the collaboration on how the quality and competency of medical professionals and medical specialists with a foreign diploma, who intend to establish themselves and practice their profession on Sint Maarten shall be assessed.
The MOU went into effect on June 30th for a period of five years and will jointly be evaluated after two (2) years, in order to decide on the continuation of the collaboration. If both participants agree, the MOU will be continued. After five years, a joint decision will be made as to whether the MOU will be renewed.
The Memorandum of Understanding does not create any rights or obligations under international law and national law and amendments to this MOU may be made at any time by a written arrangement between the participants.
“For many years we have heard the complaints of our people who were sent abroad for treatment; ironically those same doctors are not able to work in Sint Maarten due to the law requiring them to be Beroepen in de Individuele Gezondheidszorg (BIG) registered .
“This MOU grants the opportunity for non-BIG specialists to work in Sint Maarten once the credentials are up to or surpassing the BIG standards. This opens the pool of specialists in Sint Maarten and strengthens our health care system while lowering costs through decreasing medical referrals abroad,” said Ottley.
Medical professionals interested should submit an application to the Department of Public Health of Sint Maarten (VSA). After receipt of the application, it is checked whether all necessary documents are present, in case of missing documents, the Ministry of VSA will request these from the applicant.
When the file is complete, the CIBG will be contacted via email and the necessary documentation will be shared via a digital 'samerwerkingsruimte, provided by CIBG.
The legislation establishing our own BIG registration for Aruba, Sint Maarten, and Curacao is being worked on collectively through the four country meetings on Health.
Until this law is finalized this collaboration creates a buffer between time to ensure Sint Maarten can provide quality care and remain competitive when trying to seek qualified medical professionals given the current global shortage.
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