WILLEMSTAD – Curaçao's healthcare system is facing a deepening crisis marked by growing surgical waiting lists, a shortage of medical specialists, financially struggling healthcare institutions and insufficient investment in prevention, according to the opposition party MAN-PIN. During a press conference on Wednesday, party leaders accused the government of failing to address long-standing structural problems and warned that the island's healthcare system is approaching a breaking point.
MAN-PIN parliamentary leader Giselle Mc William said the situation has become alarming, pointing to the growing pressure on Curaçao Medical Center (CMC), where approximately 1,000 patients are currently waiting for surgery.
According to the opposition, the backlog is largely the result of an acute shortage of medical specialists. The party argues that the National Ordinance on the Standardization of Top Incomes (Normering Topinkomens), which caps salaries in the public sector, has made Curaçao less attractive for highly qualified specialists.
"The salary ceiling is driving specialists away or discouraging them from coming to Curaçao in the first place," Mc William said, arguing that the policy has contributed directly to the island's inability to recruit and retain medical professionals.
The opposition stressed that the challenges extend well beyond CMC. MAN-PIN said the Advent Hospital, nursing homes and the Dr. David Ricardo Capriles Mental Health Clinic are also under severe financial and operational pressure.
According to the party, the government has failed for years to adjust healthcare reimbursement rates to reflect rising operational costs, while at the same time reducing subsidies for elderly care services.
MAN-PIN cited the recent financial difficulties experienced by Advent Hospital, which reportedly came close to being unable to pay staff salaries after government commitments were not fulfilled. The party also referred to warnings issued by the Capriles Clinic in 2025, when the mental health institution reported overcrowding linked to a growing number of young people requiring psychiatric care.
Beyond hospital financing, the opposition criticized what it described as a lack of effective preventive healthcare policies.
MAN-PIN argued that Curaçao's healthcare costs continue to rise because the population is becoming less healthy. The party pointed to the increasing prevalence of Type 2 diabetes, saying approximately one in ten residents is affected by the disease. According to the opposition, this has contributed to a sharp increase in amputations and dialysis treatments, placing additional pressure on the healthcare system.
The party also expressed concern about substance use among young people, claiming that harmful vaping products remain easily accessible to minors. According to MAN-PIN, children as young as eight years old are reportedly able to purchase vapes from neighborhood shops without difficulty, highlighting what it described as inadequate enforcement and regulation.
The opposition called on the government to stop ignoring the findings of numerous studies and policy reports that have already identified solutions to many of the sector's challenges.
Instead of commissioning additional studies, MAN-PIN said the government should begin implementing concrete reforms to strengthen healthcare financing, improve recruitment and retention of medical professionals, and invest more heavily in prevention and public health.
The party also voiced strong opposition to reported government plans to place Curaçao Medical Center under direct government control.
MAN-PIN parliamentarian Suzy Camelia-Römer warned that such a move would introduce political influence into the management of the island's largest hospital.
According to Camelia-Römer, direct government control of CMC would represent a dangerous form of political interference that could undermine the hospital's independence and decision-making.
The press conference comes amid growing public debate over the future of healthcare in Curaçao, as hospitals, healthcare providers and policymakers continue to grapple with rising costs, staffing shortages and increasing demand for medical services. While the government has acknowledged several of these challenges in recent years, MAN-PIN argues that meaningful structural reforms can no longer be postponed if the healthcare system is to remain sustainable.