An intriguing story on Tuesday’s front page stated that Social and Health Insurances SZV owes St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) 23.9 million Caribbean guilders. The update was provided to Parliament by Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour VSA Richinel Brug.
He explained that some Cg. 19.8 million regards medical services for “Overheid Ziektekosten Regeling” (OZR) insured patients between 2022 and 2025. The latter means government is actually responsible for that part of the debt.
History repeats itself, they say. In February 2019 the Health Care Providers Platform gave government two weeks to resolve outstanding OZR arrears. The house doctors (general practitioners), physio-, occupational and speech therapists, dieticians, dentists, psychologists, pharmacies, paramedics and laboratories said they had been waiting for 10 months already after sending their first letter on the issue in April the year before.
Platform member Dr. Mike Mercuur, who was also Secretary of St. Maarten Medical Association (SMA), said in March 2018 that SZV had “abruptly announced” on its internal healthcare providers webpage that OZR guarantee card payments for public sector employees were on hold until further notice.
This led to a meeting with then VSA minister Emil Lee and Finance Minister Perry Geerlings about the matter on Tuesday, February 12. “It was a frank and open meeting and some commitments were made,” Mercuur explained a month later. “These have yet to materialise.”
In 2021 the Paramedic Association St. Maarten (PASM) comprising of physical therapists, dietitians, speech therapists, occupational therapists and kinesio therapist also announced that due to a severe delay of payment for OZR cards and a lack of communication by then VSA Minister Omar Ottley, as of Friday, July 9th all OZR cards carriers would have to pay out of pocket.
This was followed by a similar notice on October 28 with a November 1 deadline. The latter sparked another meeting, with reportedly as result the fast-tracked payment to the health care providers of the one billing month that was outstanding, in the same week.
In May 2025, the Council of Ministers approved an increase in government’s monthly OZR contribution from 5.5 million to 6 million guilders, reflecting its commitment to maintaining the fund’s sustainability and ensuring that it continues to meet the healthcare needs of its beneficiaries.
Last November current Finance Minister Marinka Gumbs said she had commissioned the Foundation Government Accountants Bureau SOAB to carry out a financial audit of the OZR Fund, to enhance transparency and accountability in its management. No known outcome has yet been announced, but it seems clear this problem goes back a long way.
