PHILIPSBURG — Checkmate Security Services that manned the towers at the Pointe Blanche Prison for the past 16 years has been removed and replaced by the Voluntary Korps of St. Maarten (VKS). According to the General Manager O’Neal Arrindell he received a letter from the Minister of Justice Cornelius De Weaver advising him that they no longer need Checkmate Security service for the prison since they will be using the VKS to do the work. The Commander of the Voluntary Korps of St. Maarten Antonio Rogers has confirmed that the VKS has been deployed at the prison for an extended…
Author: The Publisher
~ Mother taking him to French hospital for further diagnosis ~ PHILIPSBURG — The PSVE student who was hit by a car when he was coming off of a school bus about two weeks ago is now complaining of serious pains about the body. “I am not taking any chances, I am going to take him on the French Side hospital for further medical examination,” said the parent of the child. “I have not heard from or seen the driver of the car that hit my son following the accident. The ambulance took my son to the Medical Center and…
On Monday December 3rd, Minister of Public Health Emil Lee and Regional General Director Mrs. Valerie Denux of the French Government signed the long awaited MOU to solidify a structural working relationship between the Health Ministries of both sides of the island. The MOU signing will result in dedicated work groups that will focus on research and development in: laws & regulations, quality systems, allocation of specialties, purchase and delivery of medication, secondary care, health security, emergencies, medical evacuations and more. “From the very beginning, one of my key priorities was to ensure that the Dutch side and the French…
Philipsburg — Ferfina S.P.A Group, the parent company of INSO, the construction company contracted to build the new hospital on St. Maarten, has allegedly amassed over US $833 million in debt with an apparent US $6 billion in order backlogs. Additionally, documents from the Courte de Roma show that another affiliate company, Condotte, as well as INSO, has been seeking urgent reprieve from creditors who are demanding funds that they simply cannot pay, or work they cannot perform. Member of Parliament Rolando Brison of the United St. Maarten (US) party faction in Parliament on Tuesday said he has uncovered information…
PHILIPSBURG — St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) has been notified by Italian construction company INSO that its parent company, Condotte d’Acqua (Condotte) has filed for Extraordinary Administration, which is a restructuring procedure aimed at satisfying the creditors on the one side and safeguarding the continuity of the business and the employees’ rights on the other. Condotte’s going through financial turbulence was mentioned by several speakers, including Minister of VSA Emil Lee and SMMC’s General Director Kees Klarenbeek, during yesterday’s Groundbreaking Ceremony for the construction of the new hospital. Despite these current circumstances, Tripartite members Ministry of VSA, SZV and SMMC…
CAY HILL — During a well-attended ceremony and in witness of the Governor of St. Maarten his Excellency Drs. Eugene Holiday, Deputy Prime Minister Wycliffe Smith, Minister of VSA Emil Lee and the Council of Ministers, Dutch Representative Chris Johnson, the Chairman of the Supervisory Council of the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC), Robert Jan James, the Board of Directors of SMMC Kees Klarenbeek and Dr. Felix Holiday and numerous Government officials and other dignitaries, ground was officially broken for the construction of the new hospital: St. Maarten General Hospital. The official groundbreaking ceremony was held at SMMC in close…
By Hilbert Haar Traffic jams. Everybody hates them but nobody wants to leave his or her car at home. A car for every working man; that was something Joop den Uyl, the iconic front man of the Dutch socialist party PvdA envisioned in the sixties of last century. We all know by now what happened next. Den Uyl’s vision became a reality and all those working stiffs are nowadays complaining about traffic jams. Congestion is not unique to St. Maarten, but the island’s land mass and infrastructure pose specific problems and they make a solution more complicated, if not near…
PHILIPSBURG – A rough estimate, based on plate numbers, suggests that there are between 60,000 and 70,000 cars on the road in St. Maarten – that’s counting both the Dutch and the French side. Given our island’s limited infrastructure, traffic jams are unavoidable. It’s at times bad in the low season and worse in the high season when there are many more rental cars on the road. One thing we know by now for sure: the causeway bridge was not the solution. But what is? Stmaartennews.com readers have expressed their thoughts about this topic and provided a wide array of…
PHILIPSBURG—“At least 15% of the population of the island are suffering with diabetes,” said Member of Parliament and surgeon Dr. Luc Mercelina during his lecture at the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) on Saturday. ‘It is very high and a very serious problem in the community,” he said. Responding to the concern of a member of the audience who suggested that something has to be done to prevent this disease, he said that science has not been able to find out what is the real cause of the diabetes disease. “What we know is once a person has the disease…
COLE BAY — News reaching our newsdesk reports that the electrical installation at the back of the Caribbean Cinemas Megaplex 7 movie theaters building on the Welfare Road in Cole Bay caught on fire and was emitting heavy smoke. The building was immediately evacuated and firefighters with their firetrucks are on the scene at this present time. The report came in just before 7pm this evening, Saturday, December 1, 2018. There is no indication of serious structural damage nor is there any reports of anyone getting hurt. This is however the second major business on the island to reopen after…
