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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 in St. Maarten.”
Prime Minister Luc Mercelina, who was a surgeon before he went into politics, labels the draft ordinance as “a decisive step toward safeguarding patient safety and strengthening trust in our healthcare system.” Mercelina added that healthcare has relied for too long on fragmented and temporary measures. “Now we are putting in place a solid, future-proof structure that ensures only qualified and competent professionals can practice medicine in St. Maarten.”
St. Maarten’s healthcare system has always depended on medical professionals that were trained abroad. Because there was no uniform national registration system there was uncertainty about who was authorized to provide care, how professional competence could be evaluated and which medical interventions a professional was allowed to perform.
“This law ensures that every doctor, nurse and healthcare professional who works here meets clear and transparent standards – standards that our people deserve,” Mercelina stated.
The prime minister initiated the draft-law back in 2019 through close collaboration with healthcare professionals, and looking at international models like the one of Aruba and the Dutch BIG registry. They were all adapted to the scale and administrative capacity of St. Maarten.
Legislative lawyer Aarti Baran translates all efforts into a coherent legal framework.
PM Mercelina denies that the draft is a copy and paste operation. “It was about designing a system that works for St. Maarten – our size, our realities and our future.”
When the draft gets the approval of parliament and goes into effect, only recognized and competent professionals are allowed to provide medical care. The system relies on registration, re-registration and periodic assessment. The objective is to prevent people without up-to-date expertise or proven competence from practicing medicine and to provide structural protection for patients.
“Patient safety is not optional, it is fundamental,” PM Mercelina stated. “This registry places quality, competence and professionalism at the heart of healthcare delivery. We are opening the door to qualified international professionals while at the same time protecting our standards. This balance is essential for a resilient healthcare system.”
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