WILLEMSTAD – Curaçao Medical Center (CMC) says a structural solution to the hospital’s financial problems is essential if it is to reach sustainable agreements with employees over improved working conditions, warning that healthcare workers have already waited too long for progress in the ongoing collective labor agreement negotiations.
CMC acknowledged that the CAO negotiations have taken longer than they should have and said employees deserve recognition, fair employment conditions and greater certainty about their future.
The hospital says its healthcare professionals and support staff have continued caring for patients for years despite increasing operational, financial and personal pressure.
“Caring for patients also means caring for those who care for them,” CMC stated, emphasizing that quality healthcare depends on the employees who provide it.
The hospital’s Board of Directors says it remains committed to advancing the CAO negotiations responsibly but warns that any agreements reached with employees must also be financially sustainable.
That has placed the negotiations directly alongside the broader dispute over CMC’s structural financing.
CMC estimates that it needs approximately XCG 236 million in 2026 to provide necessary care to SVB patients, while it expects to receive only XCG 206.4 million from SVB. According to the hospital, this creates a financing gap of approximately XCG 29.6 million.
Health Minister Tyron Boekhoudt has also indicated that another XCG 10 million will be made available in 2027. However, CMC says it is awaiting details about what that money will finance, when it will become available and what conditions will be attached.
The hospital specifically wants clarity on whether the XCG 10 million is intended to support improvements resulting from the CAO negotiations.
According to CMC, that distinction is crucial.
If the additional money is intended to improve employee conditions, it cannot also be considered funding to eliminate the hospital’s existing structural and operational deficit.
CMC argues that structural financing is therefore necessary for two interconnected reasons: maintaining healthcare services for patients and ensuring that the hospital can invest in and retain the doctors, nurses, healthcare professionals and support staff responsible for providing those services.
The hospital warns that its broader financial position is again becoming critical. Current projections indicate that CMC could face insufficient liquidity beginning in November to meet all its financial obligations on time.
CMC is therefore urging the government to provide clarity not only about the XCG 10 million announced for 2027, but also about the long-term financing model for the hospital.