CAYHILL — A group of 13 Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialists have been recruited and will start at St. Maarten Medical Center’s (SMMC) per October 1st, 2018 on a rotational basis. Long serving ENT specialist at SMMC, Dr. Fred van Leeuwen, will no longer be working at SMMC and to guarantee the continuity of care and to provide full time coverage to patients, a robust team of ENT specialists will be serving patients of St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius.
The team, originating from Vijf Meren Kliniek (Haarlem), Ede region and Erasmus Medical Center (Rotterdam) in The Netherlands, will be able to perform Rhinology and Sinus surgery, provide Laryngology, treat Vertigo and OSAS (Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome) among a wide range of other ENT services offered.
ENT Specialist Dr. Wong Chung says: “Our group of ENT-surgeons have up to 25 years of experience in providing ENT care in large teaching and in university hospitals in the Netherlands. St. Maarten and surrounding islands will again have the benefit of continuous ENT care throughout the entire year. We will provide the general ENT- and due to sub-specializations, can also provide in-depth care in Esthetic Facial surgery, Head and Neck surgery, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Otologic and Sinus surgery. Furthermore, we intend to provide hearing aid support in cooperation with a hearing care professional. We want to start giving lectures at primary schools on noise prevention, explaining to the children the dangers of noise exposition and hopefully prevent future hearing loss”.
Dr. Wong Chung concludes: “As ENT specialists we feel proud to start working at SMMC and to live up to its slogan of ‘We Care Together!’ thus providing the best medical care for the islands.”
The ENT facility is located within SMMC at the Care Complex and is outfitted with state of the art ENT equipment, which is in line with SMMC’s continuing mission of providing ‘Quality Care, Close To Home’.
Patients who wish to see the new ENT specialist can make an appointment at the Outpatient department at Tel: 543-1111 ext. 1300 / 1310 / 1334 or 1345. Appointments can be made from Mondays-Fridays between 8:00 am – 4:30 pm. SZV patients are requested to obtain a referral letter from their family doctor before visiting the ENT specialist.
