PHILIPSBURG: --- The Minister of VSA, Veronica Jansen Webster, clarified on Wednesday at the Council of Ministers press briefing that the HAP was launched in June 2023 as a pilot project for six months, and then the contract was extended for another six months in December 2023.
Jansen—Webster made clear that the contract for the HAP is between SZV and the HAP. When she assumed office in May 2024, SZV was already in the process of terminating the contract due to irregularities discovered in HAP’s billing.
The Minister said that SZV had informed the HAP one week before the second contract ended that they would have discontinued the HAP because the financing of the project was not sustainable. Jansen-Webster said when she learned of this; she asked SZV to give the HAP an extension of three months in order for them to address the financial and operational irregularities; this was to allow the audit of SZV to finalize a thorough evaluation of the HAP.
The Minister of Health said the idea was to find a solution for everyone involved. She explained that the HAP, SZV, held a meeting in her presence to discuss the points of improvement and the way forward.
Jansen Webster said that to ensure that the evaluation was fair, she commissioned a special committee with relevant stakeholders and persons within the Ministry. “It was after the committee submitted its report that SZV proceeded to issue its notice of termination of the contract, to which she was informed.
Jansen-Webster explained that the evaluation committee, in its report, revealed serious concerns.
• No clear distinction between after-hours, HAP Services, and the St. Maarten Diagnostic Center Services.
• No significant decreases observed by SMMC Emergency Room
• No Liability Insurance at the St. Maarten Diagnostic Center, which presented a risk to both the local community and the Tourism Industry/
• No internal protocol for the triage to determine the urgency of medical cases.
• Inconsistencies with prescription and billing from the St. Maarten Diagnostic Center and the HAP raised further red flags since it could not determine through which company SZV was being billed.
The Minister explained that there were several other critical issues that the HAP could have addressed from June 2024 to now. She further explained that the data the committee received for the evaluation rejects the claim of the former Minister of VSA and Member of Parliament Omar Ottley and that the HAP one is reducing the burden on the emergency room. “Even with 7000 persons that visited the HAP, 83% were covered by SZV, and the numbers did not show an impact on emergencies. The data showed that SZV and the government would have to do more to extend the working hours of general practitioners (GPs).
Jansen Webster said it is unfortunate that the situation is used as a political football even though the issue is serious and sensitive.
Denouncing the statements made by the former Minister when he said that the closing of the HAP could lead to a public health crisis, on the contrary, she said allowing the HAP to continue operating the way it does would cut deeply into the health care budget and ultimately undermine the quality of healthcare that the citizens deserve. “ Irresponsible handling of public health funds is more likely to lead to a public health crisis than closing an operation that fails to meet critical standards.
