WILLEMSTAD - On the first day of the new General Practitioner Post (HAP) at the Curaçao Medical Center (CMC), a patient died after having prior contact with the General Practitioner Post. The HAP states that the correct procedures were followed.
Established in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Environment, and Nature, the Curaçao Association of General Practitioners, CMC, and the Social Insurance Bank SVB, the HAP started on January 1, 2024, at 08:00. This post provides emergency care to patients of affiliated general practitioners during evening and night hours, weekends, and holidays.
The patient in question contacted the General Practitioner Post on January 1, 2024, around 21:00 due to severe cough, phlegm, and chest pain. These symptoms may indicate the flu or a respiratory infection. After an evaluation by a team of doctors and assistants, the patient was treated with Fluimucil and Paracetamol. The patient had been experiencing flu-like symptoms for a week.
Following the procedure, the General Practitioner Post informs the attending general practitioner daily about patients who have contacted the HAP. The attending physician of the deceased patient received information about the treatment on January 2, 2024, around 04:30.
After the report of the patient's death, the General Practitioner Post immediately initiated an internal investigation according to their internal protocols. The family of the deceased was also contacted. The investigation revealed that the patient felt better on the morning of January 2 and had reported this to his general practitioner by phone.
The evaluation by the general practitioner did not result in a change in the treatment initiated by the General Practitioner Post. Later that day, the patient went to bed and remained still for an extended period. When the family checked, the patient was found to have passed away.
According to the internal investigation by the HAP, all procedures were followed correctly. The HAP has reported the incident to the Health Inspection, which is conducting its own investigation into this incident.