PHILIPSBURG--A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) formalising the agreement on new method for evaluating medical professionals and medical specialists with a foreign diploma was recently signed between the Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor Omar Ottley, and Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport of the Netherlands, Ernst Kuipers.
This was announced in a press release by the Ministry of VSA on Saturday.
According to the release this agreement was signed in order to structure the collaboration on how the quality and competency of medical professionals and medical specialists with a foreign diploma, who intend to establish themselves and practice their profession on St. Maarten shall be assessed.
The MOU went into effect on June 30 for a period of five years. It will be jointly evaluated after two years, in order to decide on the continuation of the collaboration. If both participants agree, the MOU will be continued. After five years, a joint decision will be made as to whether the MOU will be renewed.
According to the release, the MOU does not create any rights or obligations under international law and national law and amendments to this MOU may be made at any time by a written arrangement between the participants.
“For many years we have heard the complaints of our people who were sent abroad for treatment; ironically those same doctors are not able to work in St. Maarten due to the law requiring them to be [Professions in Individual Healthcare – Ed.] BIG registered,” said Ottley.
He said that this MOU grants the opportunity for non-BIG specialists to work in St. Maarten once the credentials are up to or surpassing the BIG standards. “This opens the pool of specialists in St. Maarten and strengthens our health care system while lowering costs through decreasing medical referrals abroad.”
Medical professionals interested can submit an application to the Department of Public Health of St. Maarten VSA. After receipt of the application, it is checked whether all necessary documents are present, in case of missing documents, the Ministry of VSA will request these from the applicant. When the file is complete, the CIBG will be contacted via email and the necessary documentation will be shared via a digital “collaboration space”, provided by CIBG.
“The legislation establishing our own BIG registration for Aruba, St. Maarten, and Curaçao is being worked on collectively through the four country meetings on Health. Until this law is finalised this collaboration creates a buffer between time to ensure St. Maarten can provide quality care and remain competitive when trying to seek qualified medical professionals given the current global shortage,” according to the release.
