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Equipment for second water plant ordered

POINTE BLANCHE--The equipment and installations for the construction of the second seawater reverse osmosis plant in Pointe Blanche have been ordered.

The long-term Water Supply Agreement of Government with Seven Seas/AirFin, signed in November 2012, includes the supply, construction and operation of two new, state-of-the-art reverse osmosis plants. These plants are modular systems capable of producing 3,700 m3 per day each, a press release issued on Thursday said.

At an average, household consumption of half a cubic metre per day, one plant produces sufficient water to supply 7,400 homes on a daily basis.

The agreement states that the second plant shall be operational mid February 2016 Read more

Democratic Party holds its last public meeting

SIMPSON BAY--Democratic Party (DP) supporters turned out for one last public meeting at Kim Sha Beach in Simpson Bay last night. The nineteen candidates reiterated what they stood for, what needs to change in St. Maarten and what the party has been accomplishing so far.

Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams, DP #1, reiterated her views that the party had put United People’s party leaders where they are today, which was why they could shine Read more

Heel Prick Screening Feasibility Study Report Presented to Minister De Weever.

>GREAT BAY:--- Minister Cornelius de Weever thanked Collective Prevention Services for the report of the feasibility for the introduction and sustained implementation of the heel prick screening for new born on St. Maarten.
Discussions on heel prick screening for St. Maarten have been going on for years but were intensified in 2012 after a presentation and discussion of a recent case of a child with a metabolic disorder that was born on St Read more

Ministry of Health to establish Ebola Incidence Management Team. Meetings with stakeholders continues.

>GREAT BAY:--- The Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA) is in the process of establishing a "Sint Maarten Ebola Virus Disease Incidence Management Team" (SXM EVD IMT), and is continuing to meet with stakeholders as part of national preparedness according to international health regulations and requirements for every country around the world.

Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans.
This EVD outbreak has a fatality rate of 54% Read more

Health Observatory Signed

GREAT BAY, St. Martin - Minister of Public Health Social Development & Labor, Cornelius de Weever on Friday, August 22, 2014 signed a partnership commitment between Dutch St. Maarten and French St. Martin to collaborate on the 'Health Observatory'.

"This is really a very important step as an island working jointly towards the needs of the island," said Minister De Weever.

Considering St. Maarten's small scale and the fact that many people live, work as well as make use of medical services on both sides of the island, to get a clear descriptive picture of the general health status of the general adult population it is of utter importance to, this time around, execute the Health Study on both sides of the island.

This will provide more current reliable data as well as bring forth a more accurate picture for the planning of policies and programs and identifying where healthcare changes and education/awareness is necessary.

The purpose of the 'Health Observatory' is to improve general health and well-being of the population, therefore the collaboration on public health related matters.

This observatory will facilitate future endeavors between both sides of the island.

A project has already been identified, which will be executed by the 'Health Observatory', consisting of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development & Labor, the Collectivite and the Louis Constant Fleming Hospital, this is the 'How Healthy is St Read more

Ministry Of Health To Establish Ebola Incidence Management Team. Meetings With Stakeholders Continues

GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) – The Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA) is in the process of establishing a "Sint Maarten Ebola Virus Disease Incidence Management Team" (SXM EVD IMT), and is continuing to meet with stakeholders as part of national preparedness according to international health regulations and requirements for every country around the world.

Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans.
This EVD outbreak has a fatality rate of 54% Read more

Dutch, French to do joint health study, launch health observatory

~ 'Diseases don't stop at the border' ~

CONCORDIA--Dutch St. Maarten and French St. Martin health officials launched a regional Health Observatory on Friday and announced plans to embark on a joint public health study to assess the health situation amongst the population on both sides of the island.

Some work has already begun under the Health Observatory, which is based initially at the Louis Constant Fleming Hospital in French St Read more

style="text-align: center;">Ministry of VROMI has to provide suitable and affordable homes for fire victims

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Social Affairs Cornelius de Weever announced on Wednesday at the Council of Ministers weekly press briefing that the Department of Social Affairs will pay the St. Peters Community Council for six weeks for the fire victims that sought shelter there Read more

Medical centre outlines expansion plan details

CAY HILL--St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) has provided Health Minister Cornelius de Weever with details of its expansion plan. The expansion plan is based on the NAf. 30-35 million government has allocated in its budget for the institution, SMMC Board of Directors Chairman Kees Klarenbeek said in a letter to De Weever dated August 13.

The plan contains four phases Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Members of the Democratic Party announced loud and clear on Tuesday at a press conference that they have not signed any pre-election agreement with the United Peoples Party. The DP leader Sarah Wescot Williams distanced herself and her party from the banner that is being circulated via the social media Read more

Number two candidates debate country matters

BELAIR--Coalition, government's essential duty to the people, reducing the country's debts, immigration and other topics were dealt with by the number two candidates on the slates of five parties contesting the August 29 Parliamentary Elections at the second Arts Video Studio (AVS) political debate in Belair Community Centre on Sunday evening.

Participating in the debate were Leona Marlin-Romeo (United St Read more

Labour Affairs to be accepting permit renewals as of Monday

~ Normal opening hours resume ~

PHILIPSBURG--The Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour VSA has engaged in a re-writing of its procedures to facilitate the manual intake of employment permit requests at the Department of Labour Affairs.

The ministry said this was being done due to "the continued ICT [Information Communications Technology – Ed.] challenges experienced at the department. The servers at the department went down about a month ago due to a power surge.

The Department of Labour Affairs will start with the manual intake of employment permit applications as of Monday, August 18, but only those permits up for renewal, it was stated in a press release issued by the Cabinet of Labour Minister Cornelius de Weever.

Vacancy registrations, unemployment registrations and labour registrations also will be offered and rendered by the department manually Read more

National Mental Health Plan 2014 Presented To Health Minister, Plight Of Seniors Addressed

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The National Mental Health Plan 2014 – 2018 was presented to the Minister with the responsibility for Health Social Affairs and Labor, the Honorable Cornelius de Weever.

The plan was presented by head of Collective Prevention Services, Dr. Virginia Asin Oostberg during a press conference on Wednesday.

An action plan for the same period was also presented Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Health Cornelius de Weever told members of the media on Wednesday at the Council of Ministers press briefing that he must bring clarity on the situation at the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC).
Minister De Weever said now that politics is in the air there are politicians that are paying as much as $1000.00 for advertising regarding the SMMC to repeat the very things he has said on a number occasions Read more

Presentation National Mental Health Plan “Half Of Mental Disorders Begin Before The Age Of Fourteen”

St. Maarten – “There will be no more budget cuts to the subsidy for the Mental Health Foundation,” Public Health Minister Cornelius de Weever said yesterday in answer to a question from this newspaper at a press conference where Virginia Asin-Oostburg, head of Collective Prevention Services (CPS) presented the National Mental Health Plan 2014-2018.

Last year, the Mental Health Foundation lost around 200,000 guilders of its annual subsidy, while the government increased the subsidy for the rehab center Turning Point Read more

Editorial - Not without merit

Although the introduction of a visitor health fee proposed by Health Minister Cornelius de Weever (see related story) seems a bit "out of the blue" it shouldn't be discarded outright. Health-related services obviously are targeted in the first place toward local residents, but it does happen that guests make use of them.

As a tourism destination, maintaining quality medical facilities is important, especially for vacationers who may suffer already from some type of condition Read more

Labour, Social Services Dept servers sent abroad to be fixed

~ Consideration to avoid gaps in permits ~

PHILIPSBURG--The servers at the Departments of Labour and Social Affairs are expected to be "up and running" in about two weeks, says Labour Minister Cornelius de Weever.

The minister said on Wednesday that the servers had been sent abroad to be fixed. The system went down about four weeks ago due to a power surge and persons have been unable to submit employment permit renewal requests Read more

De Weever says visitor health fee can raise millions for health care

PHILIPSBURG--The introduction of a visitor health fee can raise millions for health care in St. Maarten, says Health Minister Cornelius de Weever.

He told reporters at Wednesday's Council of Ministers press briefing that a health fee of US $1 could be considered to be charged on airline tickets or cruise ships. With the 1,700,000 to 1,800,000 and projections for 2,000,000 cruise ship passengers and 500,000 stay-over visitors, St Read more

De Weever: New budget cuts nearly impossible

PHILIPSBURG--Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour Cornelius de Weever says budgetary amendments from his ministry are near impossible, as the ministry has reached a bare minimum and any additional cuts would not enable the ministry to execute the legislative tasks with which it is tasked.

He was attempting to explain why his ministry had not been able to comply with the budget demands as stated by the Committee for Financial Supervision.

"In order to pass the 2014 Budget, the private sector now pays its own fair share of health care premiums which provides medical insurance to their clients and family members for such a low price," De Weever said in a press release Tuesday.

De Weever made a request to amend the budget as it relates to the health care expenses of civil servants; to transfer these costs from the budget of Public Health, Social Development and Labour VSA to the budget of General Affairs or allocate them to the personnel budget of each respective Ministry by means of an allocation key.

He said the budget of VSA in particular was pegged to a year plan, including key performance indicators, and to an end-of-year report that accounts for every penny spent.

"I believe all other ministries that function without a year plan should reform and provide more accountability Read more

Health Minister Say Permit Given For Expansion Of St. Maarten Medical Center

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Minister with the responsibility for Health, Social affairs and Labor, the Honorable Cornelius de Weever is of the opinion that politics is being played with the St. Maarten Medical Center.

Whilst addressing that subject at the Council of Ministers press briefing on Wednesday, Minister de Weever reiterated that the expansion of the St Read more

Lenny Priest Wants Clarity About St. Maarten Medical Center

St. Maarten – Lenny Priest, leader of the One St. Maarten People Party (OSPP), has asked clarification from Public Health Minister Cornelius de Weever about the possible construction of a new hospital. In a letter dated August 6 (last week Wednesday), Priest notes that four years ago there was talk of an expansion of the existing St Read more

Financial Supervision (Cft) Blames Four Ministries For Delay In 2015 Budget

St. Maarten – The 2015 budget will be ready by the end of the month, Finance Minister Martin Hassink told this newspaper last week. That is more than a month after the budget should have been submitted to the Council of Advice and to financial supervisor Cft, who should have received the draft by July 9. Four ministries still have to downsize their wish list for 2015 to make it fit within the financial plan for 2015.

The Cft notes in a letter dated July 15 to Minister Hassink that the deadline of September 1 for submitting the budget to Parliament is at risk Read more

Confusion About Annual Accounts From Subsidized Foundations 

MHF: “We submit documents every year”

St. Maarten – That the board for financial supervision has not received annual accounts from foundations that receive annual government subsidies is in most cases not due to those foundations. This appears from reactions this newspaper received to last week’s article – based on a letter from the board for financial supervision (Cft) to Finance Minister Hassink – that stated that the Cft had not received such accounts for a large number of years.

Mental Health Foundation’s director Eileen Healy was the first to react, saying that the MHF files annual accounts every year Read more

Minister of Justice tours police facilities in progress

SUCKER GARDEN-- On Wednesday, August 6, Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson was given a guided tour of the ongoing construction of the new police training centre, and also visited the new Joint Emergency Dispatch Centre, which is presently being completed.

Present during the tour of the new training centre was Chief of Police Peter de Witte, Acting Chief of Police, Commissioner Carl John and police advisor Klaas Groen.

The training centre is being built at the former B.B.W. building on Sucker garden road, which is currently being rebuilt.

The new training centre will include several classrooms where theoretical instruction can be given Read more