One must give Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour Emil Lee credit for continuing to make the best out of a bad situation following the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma. With about half a billion euros in recovery assistance made available by the Netherlands but no clear agreement on how to spend it, he has been coming up with ways to put some of this money to good use.
Mind you, doing so is not that easy due to the strict conditions and requirements set by both the donor and the World Bank that manages the Trust Fund on its behalf. These include rigid procurement procedures, complete transparency and full accountability.
Lee’s ministry, the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) and others managed to direct means towards not only adapting the design of the planned new hospital to make it more storm-resistant, but also improvements to the current complex and important expansions to the medical care offered there.
While his idea for a large shelter that could also serve as theatre, library, etc. may have been a bit far-fetched, the latest proposal (see Thursday paper) to finance the multi-annual plan of Mental Health Foundation (MHF) as project makes all the sense in the world. The institution under the active leadership of Eileen Healy has come a long way since its establishment 13 years ago, growing into a stable and no doubt responsible organisation.
The plans include a new, better building to provide much-needed extra room. It will also make possible a forensic psychiatric care unit where persons who could be a risk to themselves and others can be kept and treated against their will in extreme cases if deemed appropriate by the competent authorities.
This is a sensitive issue, as Dean of the Bar Association Geert Hatzmann found out when he publicly called for a psychiatric detention centre because there are “dozens of potentially life-threatening disturbed” people walking around and St. Maarten has no adequate clinic for people with psychiatric disorders who have committed a crime.
MHF was quick to point out that there are no such numbers of violent mental patients, while involuntary treatment can only take place in accordance with the law and a declaration from the Minister of Justice. In addition, a forensic psychiatrist would cost half a million Netherlands Antilles guilders per year “for some 10 persons.”
Nevertheless, it’s good that such a facility is now part of the proposal for funding, also considering the acute lack of regular detention space. Even if it prevents just one human being from getting badly hurt or worse, that alone would be worth it.
