CAY HILL--The new general hospital for St. Maarten will be much larger than the current facility and will be equipped with the amenities of a modern medical institution including 110 beds, of which six will be Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds; six therapy units in its day care facility; and 40 dialysis chairs, amongst others.
It will also be equipped with a helipad that “meets all the legal and all the safety requirements,” St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) General Director Kees Klarenbeek said during the signing of the design, build and maintenance (DBM) contract between SMMC and Italy-based international general contractor INSO on Monday (see related story).
The new medical institution will contain “sophisticated” equipment such as a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner and medical machines for cardiac and vascular interventions. It will also be equipped with operation rooms for various types of surgeries, including orthopaedic surgeries. It will be care-demand driven.
Klarenbeek said the intention is to also further increase quality care, increase the number of specialties, expand existing services and add new specialties such as neurology, ophthalmology and orthopaedics, amongst others.
Specific attention will be given to existing services such as oncology and dialysis. “Of course these will follow the demand of care, because our hospital is not here for itself, but to fulfil the care demands of our populations,” Klarenbeek said.
To cater to the growth of existing specialties, the introduction of new ones and the addition of new medical equipment, SMMC employees currently in service at the institution should be “properly trained” and “educated” and this process should be completed in a timely manner. New employees will also be needed.
A transition plan is currently being finalised. It is expected to be ready in time for the relocation into the new hospital building, which is expected to be ready by the second half of 2019.
“The hospital will be there to serve the needs for care of the population and yes, we try to deliver as much care as possible locally, also in collaboration with the hospitals on the French side and those in the Dutch Kingdom,” Klarenbeek said.
New hospital will have helipad, 110 beds, therapy units, 40 dialysis chairs
