WILLEMSTAD – The Curaçao Medical Center (CMC) says its difficult financial situation is making it increasingly challenging to recruit operating room staff, contributing to long waiting lists for scheduled surgeries.
According to interim Chief Financial Officer Lorraine Diaoen, the hospital currently has nine vacancies for operating room assistants, a shortage that has significantly limited surgical capacity.
"The financial situation at CMC is very critical," Diaoen said while responding to questions about the staffing shortage.
She noted that although financial constraints are a major obstacle, they are not the only factor. A shortage of operating room personnel exists not only in Curaçao but also in the Netherlands and other Caribbean islands.
"Money has always been, and continues to be, an issue at CMC," Diaoen said.
Hospital officials are currently in discussions with the Ministry of Health, Environment and Nature and the Social Insurance Bank (SVB) to find solutions. Diaoen said she expects greater clarity on the hospital's financial outlook during the second half of the year, possibly as early as the third quarter.
CMC Managing Director Johan de Graaf expressed optimism that a planned financial restructuring scheduled for October will strengthen the hospital's financial position and improve prospects for healthcare professionals.
According to De Graaf, the restructuring should create better conditions for recruiting and retaining staff at a time when demand for medical care continues to increase.
He warned that growing patient volumes are placing additional pressure on healthcare workers and that, without a clear long-term perspective, the risk of staff burnout and absenteeism will continue to rise.
De Graaf emphasized that simply providing more funding to the hospital will not solve the problem. He said improvements are also needed in preventive healthcare, primary care, post-hospital care, and the availability of beds outside the hospital.
Without those improvements, patients remain hospitalized longer than necessary, reducing bed availability and limiting the hospital's ability to perform scheduled surgeries.
The hospital also expects operating room capacity to remain limited during the summer months due to staffing shortages. However, De Graaf said he is hopeful that the waiting list for elective procedures could gradually begin to decline within the next one to two months.
The latest comments underscore the financial and operational challenges facing Curaçao's only general hospital as it seeks to balance rising healthcare demand with ongoing staffing shortages and financial pressures.