WILLEMSTAD – MFK MP Javier Silvania has raised concerns about the government's strategy for recruiting healthcare professionals abroad and the vacancy left by the retirement of Curaçao's Inspector General for Healthcare.
In parliamentary questions submitted to Health Minister Tyron Boekhoudt, Silvania welcomed the minister's recent working visit to Colombia aimed at recruiting medical specialists for Curaçao. However, he questioned whether the mission also focused on recruiting nurses for operating rooms, anesthesia, recovery units and ophthalmology departments, where shortages continue to affect healthcare services.
The parliamentarian requested detailed information about the trip, including the number of specialists and nurses who expressed interest in working at Curaçao Medical Center (CMC), Advent Hospital and Curaçao International Clinic (CIC).
Silvania also questioned the role of the hospitals in the recruitment process, noting that under principles of corporate governance it is the responsibility of hospital management, not the minister, to recruit and hire medical personnel.
At the same time, the MP expressed concern over the recent retirement of Professor Dr. Keli, who served as Inspector General for Healthcare. According to Silvania, the position remains one of the most important oversight functions within the healthcare system and should be filled by an individual with the necessary expertise, integrity and medical qualifications.
He suggested that Dr. Keli be retained temporarily on a one-year contract to allow sufficient time for the government to conduct a proper recruitment process and facilitate the transfer of institutional knowledge to a successor.
Silvania warned that several urgent healthcare matters remain unresolved, including monitoring waiting lists at CMC, evaluating healthcare quality and processing applications from foreign physicians seeking authorization to practice on Curaçao.
The MP also noted that vacancies remain for both the Inspector General and the Healthcare Inspector position, which he described as two critical functions that should be filled as quickly as possible.
The questions place additional pressure on the government to provide clarity about its healthcare workforce strategy and the future leadership of the island's healthcare oversight system.