WILLEMSTAD – General practitioners in Curaçao are free to choose their own digital patient management systems, but must ensure that these systems can communicate with the Huisartsenpost Curaçao (HAP), the Fair Trade Authority Curaçao (FTAC) has confirmed following an objection procedure.
The ruling comes after the FTAC declared an objection filed by general practitioner Krishnadath unfounded, thereby upholding its earlier decision in full.
In its initial ruling, the FTAC found that the Huisartsenpost Curaçao had gone too far by requiring general practitioners to use a single specific software system. According to the authority, such a requirement constitutes an unfair contractual condition and could amount to an abuse of a dominant market position.
At the same time, the regulator emphasized that requiring systems to be able to communicate with each other is justified. The FTAC stated that technical interoperability is essential for patient safety, continuity of care, and proper exchange of medical data. Alternative methods such as email or messaging applications were deemed insufficiently reliable for this purpose.
As part of the ruling, the HAP must enable data exchange with different systems through an application programming interface (API), allowing standardized digital connections. Contracts with general practitioners must also be adjusted to guarantee freedom of choice in software.
The case partly centered on a system developed by Krishnadath, which, according to the FTAC, has not been proven to meet the technical requirements necessary to communicate with HAP systems.
The authority also noted that the required technical adjustments do not appear to impose a disproportionate financial burden. Costs related to making systems compatible must be borne by the parties involved.
With this decision, the FTAC reinforces a balanced approach: no mandatory use of a single provider, but strict requirements for the exchange of medical data.
An appeal against the ruling can still be filed with the Court of First Instance of Curaçao.