WILLEMSTAD – Curaçao's largest psychiatric institution, Klinika Capriles, says it is unable to discharge some patients because the island lacks appropriate follow-up care facilities for people with complex developmental disorders, creating a bottleneck that limits the availability of psychiatric beds.
The issue is highlighted in the 2025 annual report of GGz Curaçao, the organization that oversees both Klinika Capriles and the Yudaboyu child and adolescent psychiatric service.
According to the report, some patients who have completed their psychiatric treatment—or who would be better served in another type of care facility—are forced to remain at Capriles because no suitable residential or support services exist elsewhere on the island.
The institution notes that the problem primarily affects clients with complex developmental disorders who do not fall within Capriles' primary target group. Without appropriate long-term housing or specialized care facilities, these patients cannot move on, leaving psychiatric beds occupied longer than medically necessary.
The annual report does not specify how many patients are currently waiting for alternative placements or how long they have remained at the clinic beyond the completion of their treatment.
The delayed discharge of patients has broader implications for Curaçao's mental healthcare system. Beds occupied by patients awaiting placement reduce the number of spaces available for new admissions, potentially delaying access to inpatient psychiatric care for others in need.
Capriles did report progress in one area during 2025 by creating an alternative discharge pathway for elderly patients who had completed treatment but remained hospitalized for extended periods.
According to the institution, that initiative improved patient flow within the hospital by allowing long-term patients from the Medium Stay units to move into more appropriate Long Stay residential accommodations.
As a result, additional space became available on the Medium Stay wards for patients leaving the acute psychiatric admission unit who still require continued treatment before returning to the community.
However, no comparable solution currently exists for patients with complex developmental disabilities.
The report does not identify which organizations or residential care facilities would be required to accommodate this group or what steps are being taken to establish such services.
The institution is also experiencing growing waiting times for outpatient psychiatric services.
Capriles stresses that the longer waiting lists are not the result of a shortage of psychiatrists. According to the report, staffing levels were adequate throughout 2025.
The report, however, does not indicate the average waiting time for patients or explain the factors contributing to the increase in waiting lists.
As part of efforts to improve continuity of care, Capriles strengthened its focus on outpatient mental health services during 2025. The outpatient clinics of Klinika Capriles and Yudaboyu were placed under the leadership of a single manager to improve cooperation between adult and youth psychiatric services and facilitate smoother patient transitions.
By the end of 2025, Klinika Capriles had more than 2,500 registered patients and operated 178 inpatient psychiatric beds.
During the year, the institution recorded more than 60,000 inpatient care days, nearly 6,500 day-treatment sessions and almost 43,000 outpatient consultations.
At year-end, Capriles employed 272 staff members, including eight psychiatrists.
The annual report identifies patient flow and discharge as ongoing structural challenges for the organization. It does not indicate what measures, if any, the government plans to take to establish the specialized residential or care facilities needed to accommodate patients who can no longer remain in psychiatric hospital care but have nowhere else to go.