A neurologist will resign at the end of this month
WILLEMSTAD - Curaçao Medical Center (CMC) is obligated to report weekly on the situation regarding the announced resignations of medical specialists.
The Board of Directors, in a recently addressed letter, explains to Inspector Selving Keli, among others, that this is something impossible because no one will announce their resignation until they find another job, and therefore, they will not announce this in advance. CMC does not register resignations, but retirements.
The 'directive' states that the current situation has fundamentally changed, and CMC does not have the complete freedom to take legal action against the law that regulates the maximum salary (LNT). Instead, CMC must do everything possible to provide responsible care as established in Articles 8 and 9 of the so-called "Landsverordening Zorginstellingen." According to the instruction, this includes recruiting and organizing personnel, such as medical specialists.
"CMC does not understand this reasoning from the Inspectorate. CMC has always made and will continue to make efforts to have sufficient personnel, both quantitatively and qualitatively, to provide responsible care. If it is necessary to exceed the maximum salary (LNT) to achieve this, CMC will make the necessary efforts to do so, even through a legal process. As CMC sees it, CMC is obliged to do this based on the same provisions of the ordinance to provide responsible care. The Inspectorate cannot prohibit CMC from accessing the available legal means for everyone, such as appeals or initiating a legal process."
In the meantime, CMC will comply with this law, while the LNT is applicable to all CMC personnel, including medical specialists. The government has adjusted the standard amount through a ministerial decree, increasing it from 295,000 to 386,000 guilders. Based on this new maximum amount, CMC will make an offer to potential candidates. For the specialists currently in service at CMC, a transitional arrangement will apply for a period of 3 years starting from December 21, 2024, gradually reducing their salary to the maximum amount in effect.
CMC will approach one of the largest job providers (insurers and care providers) in Colombia with a summary of the current vacancies for medical specialists and the standard amount of 386,000 guilders according to the LNT. A specific request will be made to see if these positions can be filled based on this amount, in order to have an objective view of the possibility of recruiting medical specialists in the region. The Board of Directors can inform you that a neurologist has submitted their retirement, effective July 31st this year."
Growing demand
In the meantime, CMC has explained in various letters and presentations to the Minister of Finance and also to GMN Javier Silvania, the government, and the Inspectorate, that the demand for care is growing. "The main factors behind this are the lack of prevention programs and a healthy lifestyle, as well as organized health management and diagnosis in 1.5 health centers, where general practitioners and specialists work in a multidisciplinary manner. As a result, CMC has experienced an average growth of 10% in the number of unique patients in the past 3 years. And in the first half of 2023, the growth appears to have increased by over 72% compared to 2022. Taking into account that 2020 and 2021 were COVID years and the number of patients treated at CMC does not reflect the actual demand for care in Curaçao, this is a concerning development. Because the only general hospital in Curaçao will face problems in the near future, as the demand for care is higher than the supply."
Difficult
The Inspectorate is requesting CMC to report which medical specialists will be leaving CMC. In this, it is hoped that not only those who have submitted their retirement will be informed, but also those who may be considering it and could express their intentions, verbally (inside the building?). "It is further explained that CMC cannot compel its employees to communicate whether they may have the intention to seek other employment. It is not only a matter of information that the employee does not have to share with their employer, but expressing it does not always result in resignation. CMC will not record this information, nor will it report it, as it is not reliable information on which CMC can base its recruitment and selection management. An employee is only informed of their resignation when they have obtained another job. What CMC can share with the Inspectorate is a weekly summary of the existing vacancies, including the resignations submitted, naturally anonymized." According to the board, so far the Inspectorate has not claimed or proven that the recruitment and selection management is inadequate.