WILLEMSTAD – Curaçao made progress in reducing waiting lists for certain elective surgeries in 2025, but the island still faces a shortage of medical specialists, according to the annual report of the Social Insurance Bank (SVB)
SVB says the number of salaried specialists working through Curaçao Medical Center, Antillean Adventist Hospital and Curaçao International Clinic rose to about 95 in 2025, compared to 80 in 2024. That represents an increase of nearly 20 percent.
According to SVB, the contracting of more accessible specialist care through AAH and CIC contributed to a significant reduction in waiting lists for ophthalmology and orthopedic procedures. Budget agreements with CIC for total knee replacements also helped reduce the island-wide waiting list, and in 2025 those agreements were expanded to include hip replacements.
However, SVB warns that more than 20 specialist vacancies remained open at the end of 2025 when compared with the government’s needs assessment. The shortages include surgery and ophthalmology, where outpatient waiting times for consultations and diagnostics remain too long.
SVB also repeated its view that Curaçao needs a clearer division of functions among the island’s three hospitals to prevent overlap, inefficiency and gaps in the clinical care system.