WILLEMSTAD - The Curaçao hospital Sehos has a debt of more than 127 million guilders and is technically bankrupt. In the meantime, a new hospital has been built that should start as a new foundation with a clean slate. What does this mean for Sehos if they no longer function as a hospital?

The Sehos Foundation was founded in 1855 by the Catholic Church. Now, 164 years later, this is still the largest hospital in Curaçao. The new hospital, which will be called Curaçao Medical Center, is due to open this year, but at the same time the problems in Sehos are increasing, in particular due to lack of funds. The question is who ultimately pays for the debts.

"Government does not run a hospital"

"The government isn't going to," says Clifton Walle, spokesperson for the transition team and the Hospital Nobo Otrobanda (HNO). “The hospital is not theirs. The government has never run a hospital. "The government does have the responsibility to" take measures to promote public health," Article 25 states.

This means that the care must be available to the citizen. So it can also mean that the citizen is sent abroad to see the doctor," explains Walle. "As long as the citizen can get access to care."

"Sehos Foundation would operate the new hospital"

In the Memorandum of Understanding between Sehos and the government, it was agreed that "Sehos will act as an operating entity at the end of the transition period: the Sehos Foundation would therefore merge into the new hospital. It was later decided to set up a new entity for the new hospital. This is now HNO, a foundation established by the government "remotely".

Elvis Thode, financial director of Sehos states that last year the government decided not to comply with this point from the MoU. "The possibility of gradually paying off the debts through the hospital operation of Sehos (in HNO) has been removed as a result.

Thode states that a large part of the debt must be paid off by settling the debt to the government; by selling equipment; materials and other things that the new hospital needs. "This is sufficient according to our account," says Thode.

There is also a zoning plan for the real estate of the Sehos Foundation. "After restoration, the building can serve as a care hotel, Boutique Hotel, residential, hospitality and office spaces." These plans still require 50 to 60 million, but Thode views this positively: "More development and employment in Otrobanda instead of old buildings. That does not seem a difficult choice to me."

The government and the Sehos board are in consultation about the debts. If Sehos eventually officially goes bankrupt, it will be checked whether someone is jointly and severally liable and whether there is any mismanagement. If this is the case, someone can be held liable for the loss.

By Elisa Koek