WILLEMSTAD – Rising water, electricity and fuel prices, along with questions about the legal position of Curaçao Medical Center (CMC) entities in their cooperation with Colsanitas, dominated a parliamentary Question Hour on Thursday, October 29, 2026.
The session addressed two separate matters, with Minister Charles Cooper responding to questions about utility and fuel tariffs and Minister of Health, Environment and Nature Tyron Boekhoudt providing explanations concerning the hospital-related legal arrangements.
The first topic focused on what was described in the parliamentary agenda as drastic increases in water, electricity, gasoline and diesel prices.
The matter was placed on the agenda at the request of Member of Parliament Seferina.
Cooper appeared before Parliament in his capacity as acting representative of the Minister of General Affairs to answer questions concerning the price increases.
According to Parliament's official summary, Cooper answered all questions presented during this part of the session.
However, time restrictions prevented other Members of Parliament from asking additional questions.
Seferina, who had requested the discussion, was also unable to submit follow-up questions because the allotted time had expired.
The parliamentary summary did not provide details of Cooper's explanations or indicate whether the government announced measures to address the increases in utility and fuel prices.
The issue remains relevant to households and businesses because changes in electricity, water and fuel tariffs can affect living expenses and operating costs throughout Curaçao.
Questions About CMC and Colsanitas
The second topic concerned the legal position of Stichting HNO Holding, HNO Vastgoed en Beheer N.V. and HNO Transitie en Exploitatie Maatschappij N.V. in relation to the cooperation arrangement with Colsanitas.
The matter was raised by Member of Parliament Suzanne Camelia-Römer, who had submitted questions on October 7.
Minister Boekhoudt attended the session to provide answers concerning the legal arrangements involving the entities associated with Curaçao Medical Center.
The discussion focused on the legal position of the organizations and their relationship to the form of cooperation established with Colsanitas.
According to the parliamentary summary, Boekhoudt responded to the questions submitted by Camelia-Römer.
Unlike the earlier discussion about utility and fuel prices, some time remained available after the minister's initial responses.
Parliament Vice President Ramón Yung therefore allowed other Members of Parliament to ask additional questions about the CMC-related matter.
Boekhoudt also answered these follow-up questions before Yung formally closed the meeting.
The official summary did not disclose the substance of the minister's explanations or provide additional details about the legal structure of the cooperation with Colsanitas.
It also did not indicate whether the discussion resulted in new agreements, policy changes or requests for further documentation.
The two subjects addressed during the session reflect Parliament's continuing scrutiny of matters affecting household expenses and the organization of healthcare services in Curaçao.
While both ministers responded to the questions presented, the published parliamentary account did not provide enough detail to establish what conclusions lawmakers reached or whether additional parliamentary action will follow.