CAY HILL:--- Sixteen writers of Teen Times, a newspaper supplement of The Daily Herald for teenagers, recently toured the construction site of the new St. Maarten General Hospital (SMGH). Upon arrival, the excited writers were provided with personal protective equipment (PPE) to ensure their safety during the tour, as it is an active construction site.
The tour began with a presentation on SMMC and SMGH to allow the writers to make a connection between the construction concepts, technical drawings, floor plans, and the current progress. The presentation, given by SMGH Project Manager Erika van der Horst and Senior Communications Officer Shari de Riggs, covered various topics related to the hospital and the construction project, such as SMMC’s history and current operations, construction progress, upcoming construction activities, and career opportunities within the new hospital.
Many of the writers attended SMMC’s Community Clean-up of Little Bay Pond and bird watching tour earlier in November and were able to make a link between the interior concept of the building and real-life inspiration. After the presentation and safety briefing by the Health and Safety Officer of FINSO, the project’s general contractor, the team was led to the highest current point of the building, which was the fifth floor/technical level and worked their way back down to the ground floor. They were also able to see the future Operating Theaters, Dialysis Department, Radiology Department and Emergency Room. An eye-opener for them was seeing the less than one meter space between the new building and the current facility.
The writers posed many thoughtful questions, indicating their interest in the future of the island’s healthcare and hospital care systems and were invited to return for another tour upon the completion of the project.
“We were delighted to welcome the bright, young minds of the Teen Times team for a behind-the-scenes look at our hospital construction project. Engaging with the next generation of future healthcare professionals, community members, and patients of SMGH is essential as we work to build a sustainable, high-quality healthcare system that will serve them and generations to come, right here close to home”, remarked SMMC.
Both construction and organizational transition activities are in full swing as the hospital prepares to move from SMMC to SMGH in the near future.

The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission, through the Unleashing the Blue Economy of the Caribbean (UBEC) Project, is pleased to announce an extension to the Second Call for Proposals under Window 1 of the Regional MSME Matching Grants Programme.

Originally scheduled to close on Friday, November 21, 2025, the application deadline has now been extended to Friday, December 5, 2025 at 11:59 PM.

This extension offers welcome news and a second chance for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) that may have missed the original deadline. Eligible MSMEs operating in the Fisheries (including aquaculture), Marine Tourism, and Waste Management sectors in Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent & the Grenadines now have additional time to submit their applications and take advantage of this transformative opportunity.

A Powerful Opportunity for Blue Economy Growth

The Regional MSME Matching Grants Programme provides funding support ranging from USD $5,000 to $25,000 to help enterprises:

Upgrade equipment and facilities
Improve production and processes
Strengthen sustainability and resilience
Expand market reach and competitiveness
Build capacity through training and technical support
Already, MSMEs awarded during the First Call for Proposals are experiencing significant improvements in operations, livelihoods, and business growth, demonstrating the programme’s real impact on the Blue Economy across the region.

Training Support Already Underway

As part of the programme’s commitment to building stronger businesses:

Training sessions are currently underway in Grenada and Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, equipping MSMEs with skills in business development, financial literacy, marketing, and sustainability.
Saint Lucia has successfully completed its training series, with participants reporting increased confidence, readiness, and practical knowledge to strengthen their enterprises and prepare competitive grant applications.
A Final Call to Apply

MSMEs are strongly encouraged to take this final opportunity to submit their proposals, strengthen their businesses, and access funding that can transform their future within the Blue Economy.

How to Apply

A short instructional video on how to apply and submit proposals is included with this release to support applicants through the process.

WILLEMSTAD:--- Curaçao’s Social and Economic Council (Sociaal-Economische Raad, SER) today issued an advisory opinion to the Minister of Health, Environment and Nature (GMN), Mr. Gilmar Pisas, concerning a draft national decree that would amend the Landsbesluit Verstrekkingen Basisverzekering Ziektekosten 2014 and the Landsbesluit Medisch Tarief Sociale Verzekeringen 2001. The measure seeks to update the national schedule for medical laboratory diagnostics and establish maximum tariffs for each procedure that laboratories may charge the Social Insurance Bank (Sociale Verzekeringsbank, SVB).
The scheduled tariff framework has, over time, become disconnected from the operational and technological realities of laboratory diagnostics. It is increasingly outdated, incomplete, and internally inconsistent, and no longer reflects present-day diagnostic practice. Rapid advances in technology and the growing complexity of laboratory services have widened the divide between the regulated tariffs and routine clinical operations. The proposed decree aims to bring the tariff structure into alignment with medical, technological, and societal developments, while contributing to efforts to contain health-care costs.
In its review, the SER of Curaçao also examined the approach of comparable jurisdictions to health-care tariff regulation. In the Netherlands, the Trade and Industry Appeals Tribunal (College van Beroep voor het bedrijfsleven, CBb) has made clear in several judgments that regulators must provide a transparent basis for how tariffs are set, disclose the cost-structures underpinning those decisions, and take measures to ensure that tariff regulation does not impose a disproportionate burden on providers. The tribunal’s jurisprudence underscores principles of careful preparatory work, transparent reasoning, and the protection of property rights under Article 1 of the First Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
The SER’s advisory opinion addresses the legal, economic, and operational facets of the proposed tariff framework and considers the potential implications for laboratories, payers, and patients once the decree is finalized.

PHILIPSBURG:---  President of Parliament Sarah A. Wescot-Williams is encouraging St. Maarten’s business community to embrace a locally rooted alternative to Black Friday by adopting 'Strength Savings’ during the island’s Thanksgiving period, particularly on Friday, December 5th, and Saturday, December 6th.

Wescot-Williams acknowledged that many businesses have already announced Black Friday promotions. Rather than discarding those efforts, she urged retailers to shift or extend their major sales into the first weekend of December under the 'Strength Savings’ banner. “Black Friday is not part of our history or cultural identity,” she said. “But St. Maarten’s Thanksgiving is, and it is built on our resilience as a people. 'Strength Savings' gives us a way to celebrate that spirit while supporting our local economy.”

She reaffirmed that St. Maarten’s Thanksgiving, observed on the first Sunday of December, is a tradition born out of faith, gratitude, and the strength shown after every storm. “At a time when we commemorate our resilience and offer thanks as an island, it is fitting that our business community joins in this moment, not by following imported customs, but by uplifting our own.”

Wescot-Williams encouraged retailers of all sizes to consider adopting 'Strength Savings', Built on Resilience. Celebrated with Savings, as an island-wide initiative, reinforcing national identity while offering meaningful value to residents and visitors.

“Let us take pride in what is ours. This December, I encourage our businesses to lead with the same strength that defines our people.”