WILLEMSTAD – The Partido Alternativa Real (PAR) faction in Parliament is demanding answers from the government over why patients from the Dutch Caribbean are not being referred to the Curaçao Medical Center (CMC) for specialized treatment.
In a formal letter to the Minister of Health, PAR MP Shaheen Elhage highlights a case in which a Curaçao-born patient living in Bonaire was sent to Aruba for a cesarean section instead of being treated in Curaçao.
According to PAR, the decision placed an unnecessary financial burden on the patient’s family in Curaçao, who had to travel abroad to provide support. The party says the case raises broader concerns about Curaçao’s position within regional healthcare cooperation.
The faction suggests that the issue may be linked to the lack of accreditation allowing CMC to receive patients from the Caribbean Netherlands. It questions whether local health inspection authorities have prevented or failed to facilitate an evaluation by Dutch health inspectors, which would be required for such accreditation.
PAR warns that this situation could be damaging the international standing of CMC and leading to lost revenue, while also negatively affecting Curaçao citizens living on other islands.
The party has submitted a series of detailed questions to the Minister, seeking clarity on whether there are regulatory barriers, capacity limitations, or policy decisions preventing referrals to Curaçao.
The issue touches on broader concerns about regional healthcare integration within the Kingdom and whether Curaçao is fully positioned to serve as a medical hub for the Caribbean Netherlands.