SMMC launches virtual tour of medical care expansion projects.

CAY HILL:— St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) recently launched a virtual tour of their ongoing Renovation & Resiliency Projects on their YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn pages. The projects were made possible in part by funds from the St. Maarten Recovery, Reconstruction, and Resilience Trust fund, funded by the Netherlands and managed by The World Bank, and include several essential upgrades aimed towards expanding and increasing the level of care given at SMMC.
The tour, led by Project Manager Ingeborg Verwoerdt, gives viewers an inside look into completed and ongoing projects such as an upgraded fire detection system, an upgraded medical gas distribution system, the installation of CCTV, the construction of five (5) new double patient rooms, two (2) new operating rooms and an expansion of the Dialysis and Oncology Departments.
The five (5) new double patient rooms, constructed in the patio of the existing Medical/Surgical Ward, will be able to accommodate ten (10) beds and increases SMMC’s capacity within the hospital from seventy (70) to eighty (80). The rooms are designed with the exact layout of the future rooms of the St. Maarten General Hospital with the purpose of acclimatizing staff to the new layout and equipment. The addition of the new Class 1 operating rooms will increase SMMC’s capacity from two (2) operating rooms to four (4) with the ability to perform specialized surgeries and result in a higher volume of surgeries with the goal of further reducing the number of off-island referrals. The expansion of the Dialysis and Oncology Departments allows for the treatment of a higher volume of patients in a comfortable, more patient-friendly environment.
All of the ongoing projects are expected to be completed before the end of 2021 and contribute to SMMC’s goal of providing quality care, close to home, and preparing for the completion of and move to the St. Maarten General Hospital. The virtual tour can be viewed at https://youtu.be/M71VWI_TnT4