WILLEMSTAD - The lives of patients requiring acute, urgent, or essential care could be at risk if the Curaçao Medical Center (CMC) is forced to resume medically unnecessary care for patients of the Social Insurance Bank (SVB). The CMC stated this in response to the letter from the Public Health Inspectorate.
In that letter, Health Inspector Sirving Keli expects the new hospital to resume unnecessary medical care from Monday.
But according to the management of the CMC, that is an irresponsible decision if there is no coverage to finance the costs of equipment and medication. Continuing these services between the next month and the end of this year could have fatal consequences for patients in need of emergency, acute or essential care," the hospital's leadership said.
Ethical
They in turn wrote back to the Inspectorate. In it, she explains that the CMC has the responsibility to provide emergency, acute and essential care. In addition, it is a medical ethical responsibility that is also legally required.
"So, if CMC continues elective care for SVB patients at this time, the situation will get to the point in the coming months that there will be no equipment or medication available to treat, say, dialysis, chemotherapy or radiation patients, or those involved in accidents," says the hospital.
Responsible
As a healthcare provider, CMC is responsible for the care of all patients and for the economic functioning of the hospital. The national ordinance to which the Inspectorate refers also indicates that CMC is obliged to conduct its business operations in a responsible manner," according to the CMC.
Ending elective care for SVB policyholders is the only responsible alternative, according to the management, so that the hospital can guarantee that patients who need emergency, acute or essential care can receive their medical treatment until the end of the year.