PHILIPSBURG – In his continuous efforts to improve the access and quality of health care, Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor Emil Lee, and members of his cabinet met with the Minister of Public Health, Elderly Care, and Sports Alex Schwengle, and his legal advisor to discuss a possible cooperation agreement between Aruba’s Ministry of Health and Aruba’s Alegemene Ziektekosten Verzekering (AZV), which is a General Health Insurance in Aruba similar to the SZV in St. Maarten.
A number of topics were discussed based on the philosophy that there is no sense in reinventing the wheel. Some topics included utilizing Aruba’s survey on public perception of health care as well as working together in collaboration with the World Bank to develop a terms of reference for an operational/performance audit of SZV and AZV to systematically review effectiveness and efficiency of operations. In addition, information regarding the medical referral procedures were shared.
To improve the quality of care, both Ministers shared a vision of establishing a regional Complaint/Quality control commission, which would do joint reviews of referral processes abroad and review complaints filed locally. “This is a control mechanism that will review the trajectory of medical referrals to ensure that we are being efficient and cost effective while ensuring that our people are receiving quality care as well as to provide a mechanism to ensure that local healthcare conforms to a high standard,” Minister Lee sated.
Furthermore, Aruba has a great teen pregnancy program, which Minister Lee will explore for possible knowledge transfer to St. Maarten.
“As our respective Ministries work to deliver as much value for money as possible, Aruba and St. Maarten Ministers agree to cooperate as much as possible to share and synchronize in order to improve quality of health care for our people in the most effective and efficient manner possible,” Minister Lee concluded.
Photo caption: From left to right: Senior Policy advisor Selby Philip, Senior Policy Advisor Alissa Rios, Minister of VSA Emil Lee, Minister of Public Health, Elderly Care & Sports Alex Schwengle, and his legal advisor Dorylee Lopez Penha.
