From left: Minister Dangui Oduber of Aruba, Dutch State Secretary Maarten van Ooijen, Minister Javier Silvania of Curaçao and Omar Ottley of St. Maarten. (Aruba government photo)
ORANJESTAD/WILLEMSTAD--The Public Health ministers of Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten and state secretary of Public Health of the Netherlands came together in Curaçao last week for the fifth edition of the Four-Country Public Health Consultation. A number of decisions were taken.
The consultation between the ministers of the Dutch Caribbean countries and the state secretary is a platform where important agreements are made to improve healthcare for the people of the islands that form part of the Kingdom.
During the meeting in Curaçao, a number of health-related topics were discussed: implementation of the International Health Regulation (IHR), preparedness for pandemics, preparedness for crises and/or disasters in the region, mental health legislation, prevention and healthy lifestyle, quality institutions, healthcare personnel capacity and Dutch Caribbean Hospital Alliance (DCHA). A new topic this year was the effect of the slavery past on public health.
The islands agreed to create a so-called Caribbean HUB to reinforce local capacity, know-how and expertise in the area of public health. The islands, through a workgroup, will render advice on the coordination, planning and monitoring of preparations for a pandemic. A live document will be drafted that addresses matters such as legislation, supplying of medical supplies, advice and communication, medical referrals, testing, tracking and diagnostics, surveillance, protection and support of medical personal during a pandemic.
The islands and the Netherlands will keep working together on the medical pre-evacuation of crucial patients in the case of an approaching hurricane and psycho-social help for evacuated patients. Also, the 2023 hurricane management plan will be updated.
The countries agreed to focus on drafting a basic law for mental healthcare together. It was agreed to work together on prevention, joint training and exchange of knowledge and expertise in the area of mental healthcare. The countries will continue to stimulate the structural collaboration between mental healthcare organisations.
The countries will share best practices and lessons learned to select, implement and evaluate programmes in the area of prevention and promotion of health, specifically for cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, healthy food and exercise. The countries will strive to include health in all government policies in a structural manner.
The harmonising and developing of regulations for competence, norms and registration of healthcare professionals, the promotion of expertise of healthcare professionals through studies and coaching, and addressing manpower planning in conformity with a standard method have the countries’ attention.
As a priority, the countries will focus on the quantity and quality of healthcare workers on the islands. Based on the results of an analysis, the countries will work on increasing the possibilities
for healthcare personnel to study and train.
Signing the decision list
The countries agreed that the DCHA hospital alliance is progressing in a satisfactory manner. The recommendations of the DCHA were discussed and it was agreed to jointly respond to these.
For the first time, the countries discussed the effects of slavery on public health. It was noted that there is barely any attention for the consequences of the slavery past on the health, both physical and mental, of people nowadays. The countries agreed to seek funding for projects that focus on mitigating the effects of the slavery past on people’s health. A committee will be established to look into this.
Present at the Four-Country Public Health Consultation were: Ministers Dangui Oduber of Aruba, Javier Silvania of Curaçao, Omar Ottley of St. Maarten and Dutch State Secretary Maarten van Ooijen.
The ministers and state secretary said they were confident and enthusiastic that collaboration between the countries would result in a sustainable healthcare system in all parts of the Kingdom and better healthcare for the people. They said that experiences during crises have shown the importance of good cooperation to improve healthcare. The next consultation between the four countries will take place in June next year.
