Wednesday’s press briefing produced quite a bit of news on the medical front, as Public Health Minister Emil Lee confirmed the first case of zika in St. Maarten. There is absolutely no reason to
panic, especially as the person involved had travelled recently, so the disease could have been contracted abroad.
But even if the virus becomes present locally, that should not be a shock to anyone. As was pointed out in this column earlier, expecting zika to stay away from the island altogether would be naïve considering its prevalence in the region.
Important is to keep the mosquito population down, thereby limiting the risk of widespread infections. It only takes one bite, but obviously the fewer the better.
Preventing and eliminating breeding sites formed by standing rainwater is the best way to tackle the blood-sucking insects that act as carrier for the virus. As even a discarded bottle cap can serve as such, littering at this stage is downright hazardous and this implies a collective responsibility of the entire community.
Further explanation also was provided on the bids received for a new hospital. The latter regard only engineering firms that submitted overall proposals as to what will be needed, so negotiations on the construction itself still must take place and in fact aren’t expected to start until this summer.
That turnkey development companies from around the world have shown an interest is positive, but the devil no doubt will be in the details. The current process guided by KPMG in any case inspires confidence that there probably won’t be hugely unpleasant surprises down the road as, for example, happened in Curaçao, where the “Hospital Nobo Otrobanda” project went far over budget.
The intention to make “local inclusion” in the building activities one of the criteria is in itself admirable. However, guaranteeing a facility that provides quality yet affordable health care and is able to operate without the current losses remains the biggest priority.
Signing an agreement with American University of the Caribbean (AUC) to formalise the existing cooperation was a no-brainer, because not making good use of the medical school’s available expertise in such a small society with sparse resources would be a major mistake. In general, the ministry seems to be on the right track.
