WILLEMSTAD - According to the Ministry of Health, Environment, and Nature, only a small portion of medical specialists at the Curaçao Medical Center (CMC) have left due to measures targeting high salaries.
The Health Inspectorate reports that the majority of departures and retirements are due to other causes.
A report from the CMC dated August 19 shows that the number of medical specialists has decreased to 15.3 full-time equivalents (FTE), with expectations for this to increase to 18.7 FTE. Since June 26 of last year, 8.3 FTE specialists have left, with an additional 3.4 FTE expected to depart soon. After further investigation, it was found that only 4.6 FTE (five specialists) directly related their departure to the new Task Assignment Act (LNT).
The ministry emphasized that most specialists left for other reasons, such as retirement, moving to other institutions, or personal decisions.
Additionally, the CMC has not provided specific information regarding replacements or new hires to address the resulting shortages.
Compensation through Cooperation with Other Hospitals
Measures have already been taken to address the reduced availability of specialists at the CMC. For instance, in ophthalmology, additional surgeries have been performed by Mexican ophthalmologists at the Advent Hospital, resulting in an increase of 1.3 FTE ophthalmologists on the island.
In orthopedics, two orthopedic surgeons from the CMC have been performing standard surgeries at the Curaçao International Clinic since January 2024, which has helped compensate for the shortage of orthopedic specialists at the CMC.
For specialties like dermatology and nephrology, there have been reported cancellations, but these have been addressed by appointing replacement doctors from the Advent Hospital.
Future Retirements and Shortages
The CMC has indicated that more specialists are expected to retire soon, including in fields such as neurology, plastic surgery, pulmonology, and urology. While some specialists have expressed plans to reduce their working hours, it remains unclear how the CMC plans to address the anticipated shortages.