~The Dawn of a New Era of Care~ CAY HILL: On Thursday, March 26th, St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) celebrated the construction of the St. Maarten General Hospital (SMGH) project reaching its highest point of construction. The first section of the roof have been completed, marking a momentous milestone in the construction of the new hospital. The ceremony brought together key dignitaries, stakeholders and staff, including Honorable Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina and his wife, SMMC Gynecologist Dr. Patricia Mercelina-Roumans, Honorable Minister of VSA Richinel Brug, Honorable Minister of Justice Nathalie Tackling, CEO of general contractor FINSO, Salvatore Esposito, St.…
Author: The Publisher
By Hilbert Haar The initiative of the ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labor to introduce a supplementary pension plan sounds like a charming idea. The lofty objective is to provide pensioners with more income and by doing so, protecting their living standards. Who would not want to do that? Unfortunately, there are obstacles on the road to the introduction of such a plan. The first question that comes to mind is: who is going to pay for it? And the second one: who is going to benefit? Supplementary pension systems do exist elsewhere in the world. In some…
PHILIPSBURG – The draft national ordinance on the Healthcare Professionals Registry is complete and ready to undergo the required procedures before it is sent to the parliament for approval and subsequent implementation. According to a press release from the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labor (VSA) the ordinance will establish “for the first time in the country’s history a legally anchored and integrated national registration framework for medical professionals.” The groundwork for the draft legislation was laid in 2019 and “driven by the urgent need to bring clarity, structure, and legal certainty to the regulation of medical practice…
PHILIPSBURG – Joe Alcalá, a medical doctor born in Curacao and educated at Groningen University has been appointed as the interim Inspector General at the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labor (VSA) for a period of two years. His tenure started on February 2. The inspectorate had been without an inspector general for several years and VSA-Minister Brug is therefore happy with the Alcalá’s appointment.”This represents a significant and long-awaited step forward restoring effective oversight and enforcement,” he stated in a press release. The minister commended the staff of the inspectorate for holding down the fort while there…
PHILIPSBURG – Minister Richinel Brug (Public Health, Social Development and Labor) states in a press release that the allegations against his chef de cabinet Suëna Laville-Martis “must always be taken seriously,” but he stops short of offering his opinion on the situation. Instead, Minister Brug emphasized his commitment “to transparency while reaffirming that the work of the ministry continues without interruption. Matters concerning integrity and public accountability must always be treated with seriousness and addressed through the appropriate channels.” In the meantime, Brug has asked the Integrity Chamber to investigate “matters that have taken place within the ministry since I…
WILLEMSTAD – Curacao’s Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas wants to get out of the monetary union with St. Maarten and establish a separate Central Bank in Willemstad. Pisas sent a letter to parliament with the request to reconsider the monetary union, the Antilliaans Dagblad reports. He also wants to debate the option to set up a Central bank for Country Curacao. Pisas invited the Central Committee to take a position on the issue. With its opinion as backup, Pisas intends to begin discussions with St. Maarten about the future of their monetary arrangement. On February 13 2026, the parliament in Curacao…
PHILIPSBURG – The Court in First Instance sentenced Johan Dijkhoffz to an 11-month prison sentence for bribing Christophe Emmanuel who was at the time minister of Public Housing, Urban Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (Vromi) and for abusing the minister’s position. Emmanuel received a 29-month prison sentence for the same facts. Dijkhoffz, who is 59, is according to the ruling suffering from a lengthy and serious illness but that did not prevent the court from imposing an unconditional prison sentence. Between December 20, 2016 and January 15, 2018 Dijkhoffz abused Emmanuel’s position as Minister of Vromi. This crime carries a maximum…
A police officer in Bonaire who signed a false report of attempted manslaughter following a high-speed chase—despite knowing no such offense had occurred—has been rightfully dismissed, the Court of Civil Servants has ruled. The case involves a female officer of the Caribbean Netherlands Police Force (KPCN), who was dismissed on April 29, 2025, by the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. She challenged the decision, but the court has now upheld her dismissal, citing serious breaches of integrity. False report after high-speed chase The incident dates back to March 2024, when police officers pursued a vehicle during a high-speed chase that…
St. Maarten’s economy is expected to continue expanding in 2026 following a strong performance in 2025, but growing geopolitical tensions and global uncertainties could weigh on the outlook, according to the latest Economic Bulletin of the Central Bank of Curaçao and St. Maarten (CBCS). After posting real GDP growth of 3.4 percent in 2025, St. Maarten is projected to grow by 2.4 percent in 2026, reflecting a gradual normalization following the post-pandemic recovery. The expansion continues to be driven largely by tourism, which remains the backbone of the island’s economy, along with related sectors such as transport, trade and construction. CBCS President Richard Doornbosch noted that while the recovery remains intact, St. Maarten’s open…
MARIGOT–The Collectivité of Saint-Martin, in collaboration with final-year students of the Métiers du Commerce et de la Vente (MCV) program at Daniella Jeffry Vocational High School, will host the opening of a photography exhibition titled “In the Style of Martin Parr” on Wednesday, April 1, at 5:00pm. The exhibition will be on display in the lobby of the Collectivité building in Marigot from April 1 through April 24, 2026, highlighting contemporary and original photographic perspectives on life in Saint-Martin. Inspired by the work of renowned British photographer Martin Parr, the students have developed a series of images that reflect on modern society and the unique character of the…
