SMMC Renovation and Resiliency Project Manager Ingeborg Verwoerdt.
CAY HILL--St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) has launched a virtual tour of its ongoing Renovation and Resiliency Projects on its YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn pages.
The projects were made possible in part by funds from the St. Maarten Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience Trust Fund, funded by the Netherlands and managed by the World Bank. The projects include several essential upgrades aimed towards expanding and increasing the level of care given at SMMC.
The tour, led by Project Manager Ingeborg Verwoerdt, gives viewers an inside look into completed and ongoing projects, such as an upgraded fire-detection system, an upgraded medical-gas-distribution system, closed-circuit television (CCTV) installation, five new double patient rooms, two new operating rooms and expanded Dialysis and Oncology Departments.
The five new double patient rooms, constructed in the patio of the existing Medical/Surgical Ward, will be able to accommodate 10 beds and will increase SMMC’s capacity within the hospital from 70 to 80.
The rooms are designed with the exact layout of the future rooms of the St. Maarten General Hospital with the purpose of acclimatising staff to the new layout and equipment.
The addition of the new class one operating rooms will increase SMMC’s capacity from two operating rooms to four, with the ability to perform specialised surgeries and result in a higher volume of surgeries with the goal of further reducing the number of off-island referrals. The expansion of the Dialysis and Oncology Departments will allow for the treatment of a higher volume of patients in a comfortable, more patient-friendly environment.
All of the ongoing projects are expected to be completed before the end of 2021 and contribute to SMMC’s goal of providing quality care, close to home and preparing for the completion of and move to the St. Maarten General Hospital.
The virtual tour can be viewed at
