WILLEMSTAD - The mortality rate at the Curaçao Medical Center (CMC) in 2022 was comparable to that of Dutch hospitals, according to the CMC management. 

The mortality rate, also known as the 'Hospital Standardized Mortality Rate,' is a measure of potentially avoidable deaths in hospitals. The comparison was made with six Dutch hospitals, with the selection being random, as stated by the CMC. "This is a good indicator that there are no excessive avoidable deaths at CMC," said the hospital management. 

The mortality rate at CMC was 2.38 percent in 2023. Once the mortality rates of the comparison hospitals are available in the Dutch Hospital Data, CMC will make a comparison for 2023. The figure at CMC was 2.57 percent in 2022, compared to 2.51 percent in the Netherlands. The mortality rate of the Curaçaoan hospital was higher in 2021 than in the Netherlands, which the CMC attributes to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The mortality rate of CMC for 2022 was comparable to the peer groups used for comparison. The first group includes hospitals such as the Medical Center in Venlo/Venray, the Martini Hospital in Groningen, and the Medisch Spectrum Twente in Enschede. The second group includes hospitals such as Boven IJ in Amsterdam, St. Jansdal in Harderwijk/Lelystad, and Slingeland in Doetinchem.