Dear Editor,
Late 2015, I was diagnosed with a serious heart problem called Aortic Valve Stenosis. SZV SXM arranged for my heart operation to take place in Colombia. After getting this news, I realized how little I knew about Colombia and the little knowledge I had was rather negative.
In my mind it was a country ravaged by decades-long violent conflict and cartels, of drugs and kidnappings by different rebel groups. I did not know that Colombia was one of the top places for excellent medical care in Latin America and that the Colombian government had been successful in reversing its negative image as a trouble spot in South America.
Significant progress has been made, dramatically improving security, which is a crucial factor in attracting visitors from abroad. At the moment, negotiations between the Colombian government and the main rebel group, the FARC, are making significant progress. The FARC, (revolutionary armed forces of Colombia) was formed in 1964. Its aim was to overthrow the government and to install a Marxist regime. Through money from the drug trade, it became the largest and best equipped guerrilla force in Latin America.
Kidnappings became their favourite tool in their violent conflict and quest for power. No wonder there were recently jubilant celebrations in Colombia after the historic signing of a cease-fire agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC. The signing, of which took place in Cuba, ending five decades of warfare. People in Colombia were celebrating this long expected peace agreement by hugging and embracing each other, singing the national anthem and waiving the country's flag.
Colombia's president Santos hopes to sign the final peace accord in Colombia by the end of this month. “Adios a las armas,” (goodbye to the weapons.) The future will be politics without arms, which is fortunately the civilized way in which politics is practiced around the world and before long, including Colombia.
Colombia is the 3rd largest Spanish speaking country in the world, after Mexico and Spain and has substantial oil reserves. It is a major producer of coffee, gold, silver, platinum, coal and agricultural products. What I am most impressed about is the excellent medical care that patients are receiving there. Tourism is noticeably present and many foreigners are visiting this country, not only as tourists, but also for medical reasons, plastic surgery and dental care.
The combination of excellent medical treatment at affordable prices has proven to be a very attractive combination. I am thankful to God that I was privileged to have my heart operation in Colombia, which was successful. After a lengthy revalidation process I have regained my strength and health again. I must mention that at no time during my stay in Colombia, St. Maarten patients felt unsafe around the medical facilities and hotel.
There was a visible presence of police and army in and around the whole area. As I was wondering if the other St. Maarten patients and those from Aruba and Jamaica, shared my positive opinion of the country, its people and medical care, I had questionnaires made with specific questions concerning their experiences. The feedback I got was from a total of 12 questionnaires from patients from St. Maarten and 8 interviews with those from other countries. I remember that some time ago, St. Maarten's population consisted of 103 nationalities.
The results of my survey were interesting and reflected the opinion of our multi-cultural society. The feedback I got was mainly from patients with a real Caribbean background, as they were born in: Jamaica, St. Kitts, Haiti, Trinidad, Curaçao, Aruba, St. Maarten, the Philippines and the Netherlands. One of the questions was: Would you recommend Colombia to others who need medical treatment abroad? This was positively answered for 100 per cent. Question number 9 was as follows: If you had the choice in case you had to go for medical treatment abroad, which of the following countries would you choose to go to? Curaçao, Venezuela, USA, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Guadeloupe, the Netherlands or Other. 100 per cent of the answers resulted in: Colombia. Some other comments:
*I heard that there were good doctors in Colombia, but did not know they were that good.
*It is here, home away from home, because you are treated like family for they do more than their duty.
*We are well taken care of here; we are very pleased with the service. The people are so loving and kind.
*We could neither ask nor expect more.
*The medical facilities are modern and state of the art.
*Thanks SZV for making this possible for us.
From the general comments, I learned that 80per cent testified that besides all the benefits of receiving excellent medical care, faith and hope in God for a speedy recovery was very important. The whole system works very smoothly, from being picked up at the airport to making appointments with specialists and in getting clean and practical accommodation.
Although, knowledge of the Spanish language is an asset, it certainly is not a necessity. Insufficient knowledge of the Spanish language does not slow down the medical process, which in general is fast and efficient. There are translators available to assist the patients when visiting the specialists before and after the operation.
The apostle St. John wrote in his letter: "My dear friend, I pray that everything may go well with you and that you may be in good health." May a blessing rest on all those who are dedicated to realize this prayerful wish and to SZV, the medical establishment in general here on St. Maarten, who are committed to alleviate the suffering and negative impact of sickness and disease.
Colombia needs to be specifically mentioned as one of the leading countries in the world to have an admirable level of quality, modern health care, not only for their own citizens but also for those with serious health problems from beyond the borders of this great South American country.
Through my experiences, observations and personal contacts, I have come to the conclusion that Colombia's new country profile can be compared to the metamorphosis of a butterfly struggling to free itself from its cocoon, amazing all onlookers with the beauty of its wings.
Wilhelm Helmich Snijders
