SMMC announces adjustment to patient visiting policy

St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) has adjusted its patient visiting policy. The amended policy goes into effect immediately and allows patients admitted to the Obstetrics/Gynecology, Pediatric, Day Care, Medical/Surgical, and Intensive Care (ICU) ward one visitor at a time during visiting hours. Visiting patients admitted to the Obstetrics/Gynecology, Pediatric, Day Care, and Medical/Surgical wards is…

Council of Ministers decides that Caribbean students will receive a BSN before arrival in the Netherlands

The Council of Ministers agreed to amend the Decree Basic Registration of Persons so that Caribbean students can immediately receive a BSN (Burgerservicenummer, in English Citizen Service Number), when applying for study financing through DUO. This is made possible by temporarily registering them as non-residents in the BRP.Alexandra van Huffelen, State Secretary for Kingdom Relations…

CBCS: Economic growth expected to slowdown

The Centrale Bank van Curaçao en Sint Maarten (CBCS) expects economic growth to moderate across the monetary union in 2023, consistent with an expected slowdown in the economies of both countries’ main trading partners, notably the United States and the Netherlands. “Curaçao’s real GDP is expected to expand by 3.2% and Sint Maarten’s by 2.3%,”…

Saba Central Voting Bureau establishes final election results

The Central Voting Bureau of Saba, chaired by Island Governor Jonathan Johnson, during a session on Thursday, March 23 established the final results of the March 15 Island Council and Electoral College elections.The Central Voting Bureau members checked and signed the reports (‘processen verbaal’) of the Voting Bureau Public Entity Saba and the reports of…

Better Health in focus, as American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine hosts Community Action Day 2023

The American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC) will host its annual Community Action Day on Saturday, March 25 th , partnering with a variety of community based outreach organisations to deliver health services to a wide cross section of St. Maarten’s most vulnerable citizens including children and the elderly.The focus at the…

Could a digital Caribbean guilder improve financial inclusion in Curaçao & Sint Maarten?

Around the world, more than 60 central banks actively research the possibilities of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) as a digital form of cash provided to the public. The website cbdctracker.org is taking stock of the many different projects. The Centrale Bank van Curaçao en Sint Maarten (CBCS) is among those analyzing the effects…