WILLEMSTAD – MAN Member of Parliament Suzanne Camelia-Römer has criticized the Curaçao government for failing to act quickly enough to acquire the former Sehos hospital property, arguing that the delay allowed the historic site to pass into private hands.
According to Camelia-Römer, the government had the opportunity to purchase the former hospital complex in Otrobanda from the bankruptcy estate for approximately NAf 11 million. She described it as a missed opportunity to preserve an important piece of Curaçao's medical heritage.
The opposition parliamentarian questioned why the government was able to move swiftly in the past to spend millions of guilders on the purchase of Campo Alegre—a property that remains vacant—while failing to secure the former Sehos site.
"It is incomprehensible that such a valuable historic and medical property was allowed to slip away," Camelia-Römer said.
The comments come after the former Sehos hospital grounds were officially sold to private developer Otrobanda Village B.V., which plans to transform the area into a mixed-use urban development.
The redevelopment project includes the construction of residential housing, restaurants and cafés, medical facilities and a supermarket. According to the development plans, the site's historic buildings, including the former hospital structures and the chapel, will be restored and preserved as part of the project.
The redevelopment of the former Sehos site has been welcomed by many as an opportunity to breathe new life into a prominent section of Otrobanda while preserving its historical character. However, Camelia-Römer believes the government should have taken the lead in acquiring the property, ensuring that its future development remained under public control.
Her remarks add a political dimension to the discussion surrounding one of Curaçao's most significant redevelopment projects, raising broader questions about government priorities, heritage preservation and the management of strategically important public assets.