PHILIPSBURG - Curaçao’s Acting Minister of Public Health, Roderick Middelhof, represented the island this week during the 2025 Vierlanden Overleg on Public Health, held on November 20 in Sint Maarten. The meeting brought together the Ministers of Public Health of Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten, along with the Dutch State Secretary for Health, Welfare and Sport, to strengthen regional cooperation on key health issues within the Kingdom.
Minister Middelhof attended on behalf of the Ministry of Public Health, Environment and Nature (GMN), reaffirming Curaçao’s commitment to modernizing health legislation, improving crisis preparedness, and enhancing cross-island collaboration in medical care.
The agenda focused on several major themes, including:
Improving cross-border healthcare and the control of infectious diseases
Strengthening crisis and disaster response capabilities across the region
Coordinated efforts on mental health, prevention, and healthy lifestyle policies
Enhancing continuity of care, the healthcare labor market, and training capacity
One of the central topics was the development of the Ducaphen public health expertise network and the push to harmonize legislation across the Dutch Caribbean, particularly regarding mandatory healthcare and mental health referrals between islands.
“Public health is a shared responsibility within the Kingdom,” Minister Middelhof stated during the meeting. “Curaçao remains committed to modernizing our health legislation, strengthening crisis resilience, and ensuring safe, high-quality care for all our residents.”
The gathering, hosted by Sint Maarten’s Minister Brug, concluded with the signing of administrative agreements, a mutual framework for mental healthcare, and policy decisions directed at creating harmonized legislation for all forms of mandatory care throughout the Caribbean part of the Kingdom.