The report that more than one thousands of medical treatments are actually useless is quite an eye opener, as is the report that the cost of healthcare in the Netherlands has shot up by 40 percent over the past ten years. What happens in the Netherlands does not necessarily stay there, so we figure that in our mini-medical world of St. Maarten the same things occur. It makes sense to put medical treatments under the microscope and to separate the useful from the useless ones. Why is this a good idea? Because giving people useless treatments does not make any…
Author: The Publisher
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Dear Editor, By the time this article appears in the daily newspapers it will be 27 more days before Christmas. Last year some or many felt as if the ambience was not there. I would have to agree. And I am referring to specifically Philipsburg. We can agree that if you looked at some 90% of the homes on the Dutch side of the island there were no Christmas lights decorations that reflected the festive ambience which many of us feel around this time and I am not talking about the financial aspect because I know the reality of our…
That the prosecutor’s office has decided not to start a criminal investigation against Minister Emil Lee (Public Health) and SZV-Director Glen Carty suggests that the departed chairman of SZV’s supervisory board Dr. Michel Petit had an axe to grind. After all, he was the one to file a complaint and he was vocal about it too. There are still some suspicions that Petit’s attack had something to do with the bid for the hospital project but that is by now water under the bridge. If there are no indications, or evidence, of actions that warrant a criminal investigation, then the…
The report about spending by cruise passengers in St. Maarten is a clear yard stick for the effects drops in passenger arrivals will have on the local economy. When the chairlady of the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association announced earlier this year in the parliament in Philipsburg that the numbers would drop by around half a million this year, it was like a bomb went off. With an average spending level of around $190 per passenger this projection represented a loss to the local economy of $95 million. Yet, nobody reacted. Recently, the port presented numbers indicating that there will be…
SZV has decided to dig in its heels and appeal last Friday’s court ruling that has brought the development of the new hospital to a screeching halt. Whether that makes any sense remains to be seen. The court’s opinion that Inso’s bid was ‘abnormally low’ cannot be brushed aside as irrelevant. What to do? Breaking up the contract with Inso is probably going to cost a ton of money and wading deeper into legal procedures will move the whole hospital project into a distant and uncertain future. The warning signs were there before the contract with Inso was signed, but…
If only half of the story of our anonymous Indian man is true, then there is an ugly practice going on our island. It’s called enslavement. Fortunately there are plenty of actors in our community that have the slavery topic high on their agendas. That should put a stop to these practices in a hurry. If only life was that simple, because our slavery specialists prefer focusing on slavery during the colonial years. That’s a lot easier, because you don’t have to do anything. The struggle with the ugly past of our slavery history comes down to finger pointing and…
Where do you draw the line when it comes to domestic violence? The Women’s Desk (see the opinion under ‘Taboo’ in the Letters to the Editor section) considers the Monday and Friday girl this newspaper publishes as something that crossed the line. We disagree. The Women’s Desk describes one of these pictures as a “scantily dressed young woman” in a “very suggestive position.” The model in question is actually wearing a swimsuit and there is nothing scantily about it, let alone that our photographer let her take on a suggestive pose. The only thing different from other Monday or Friday girls is…
Dear Editor, November 25 marks the observation of the elimination of violence against women and girls; this day begins the United Nation’s 16 days of activism which culminates on December 10 with World Human Rights Day. The observation of this day aims to raise public awareness and increase political will and to mobilize resources for preventing and ending all forms of violence against women and girls in all parts of the world. Although there have been numerous initiatives both internationally and locally, this social scourge continues to rear its ugly head in our community in a variety of ways. Violence…
The Nadika Stephen case will drag on for another two months well into January of next year. That is a pity because it leaves the judgment up in the air. On the other hand, it is with some amazement that we notice how much time the court in Marigot is prepared to devote to this matter. The case is sensitive, controversial and interesting – all at the same time. That is because it is no longer about the perceived insults of Stephen towards law enforcement officers, but about the identity of St. Maarteners. Stephen has a French passport but she…
Close windows and doors if downwind from landfill fire for those with respiratory challenges GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) – The Fire Department, is advising persons living downwind from the landfill fire, to close windows and doors, especially persons who have a respiratory challenge, and for persons who suffer from asthma, shortness of breath, or any other respiratory challenges. The Fire Department is monitoring the situation at the landfill on Pond Island. The company responsible for the management of the landfill is working diligently to extinguish the fire in coordination with the Fire Department. Photo caption: Fire at the landfill…
