WILLEMSTAD – Betesda will not receive the approximately XCG 1.5 million in annual additional revenue envisioned under a government plan to accommodate patients discharged from the Curaçao Medical Center but still requiring temporary care.
The arrangement, developed while Javier Silvania was Minister of Health, was also intended to provide financial relief to Betesda, which has faced serious financial difficulties.
Silvania told the Curaçao Parliament in June that Betesda would make approximately 40 beds available for patients who no longer needed hospital treatment but could not yet return home. In return, the Social Insurance Bank (SVB) would provide approximately XCG 1.5 million annually.
Current Health Minister Tyron Boekhoudt has now confirmed that the arrangement was never implemented.
According to Boekhoudt, the required ministerial decree was not completed. In addition, a new management team at Betesda/SVC did not agree with the conditions previously negotiated with the government.
The SVB therefore never began paying Betesda for the proposed short-term care.
Silvania had linked the arrangement directly to Betesda's financial situation. According to information he provided at the time, the institution had not paid taxes since 2018 and had accumulated a tax debt of approximately XCG 15 million.
The additional revenue from caring for former CMC patients was intended to contribute to improving Betesda's financial position while simultaneously addressing the shortage of follow-up care on Curaçao.
That solution has now effectively been replaced.
At the request of Boekhoudt, the SVB has purchased 35 additional beds elsewhere: 25 at Hamiëd, five at Birgen di Rosario and five at Kas Hugenholtz. Betesda is also undergoing renovations and currently lacks capacity to accept additional patients, according to the minister.
There has, however, been progress on another healthcare issue raised by Silvania: financing for Hospice Arco Cavent.
Silvania had commissioned research into the cost and appropriate reimbursement rate for hospice care while he was minister. Boekhoudt says the SVB is now paying a daily rate for hospice care provided by Arco Cavent.
The Regulatory Authority of Curaçao (RAC) is currently examining what the appropriate new rate should be. Its advice is expected before the end of 2026.
The developments highlight the continuing challenge of creating sufficient follow-up care outside CMC. Without enough places in nursing, rehabilitation, hospice and other care facilities, patients who are medically ready for discharge can remain in hospital beds that are urgently needed for acute medical care.