CAY HILL--The amount of funds that St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) has been losing annually has been steadily increasing since 2012.
In 2015, the hospital lost NAf. 10,908,000, according to figures Health Minister Emil Lee provided to Members of Parliament (MPs) during a plenary session on the draft health care ordinance on Friday. According to the information, SMMC earned NAf. 38,850,000 in 2015, while its expenses stood at NAf. 49,758,000, resulting in a loss of NAf. 10,908,000.
In 2014 SMMC haemorrhaged by NAf. 7,834,000, when its income was NAf. 35,881,000 and its expenses stood at NAf. 43,715,000.
In 2013, SMMC lost NAf. 5,891,000 after it raked in NAf. 33,759,000 in income and forked out NAf. 39,650,000 in expenditures.
And in 2012 the Medical Center lost NAf. 2,652,000 after it brought in NAf. 34,194,000 in income and spent NAf. 36,846,000 in expenses.
Lee said SMMC was experiencing financial straits and was basically living from “cheque to cheque.” The minister plans to temporarily increase the tariffs at SMMC in an effort to alleviate the situation and more accurately reflect payment for services rendered, as this is currently lower than actual costs
