CAY HILL — On Friday, July 8th, St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) launched a virtual tour of its new medical expansions, giving the public the opportunity to have an inside look at departments and areas of the hospital that are not typically seen by visitors. The brief tour gives viewers a look at SMMC’s MRI suite, Pain Management Clinic, IV Therapy Suite, Dialysis Suite, five (5) double patient rooms and two new Class 1 operating theaters.
The five (5) new double patient rooms, constructed in the patio of the existing Medical/Surgical Ward, are able to accommodate ten (10) beds and increases SMMC’s capacity within the hospital to 95. The rooms are designed with the exact layout of the future rooms of the St. Maarten General Hospital with the purpose of acclimatizing staff to the new layout and equipment. The expansion of the Dialysis Suite and the addition of the IV Therapy Suite allow for the treatment of a higher volume of patients in a comfortable, more patient friendly environment.
Operating Room Supervisor Mr. Jules Carty led the tour of the new operating theaters, which are able to accommodate orthopedic surgeries such as total hip replacements and total knee replacements, as seen in the video. The addition of the new Class 1 operating theaters will increase SMMC’s capacity from two (2) operating rooms to four (4) with the ability to perform specialized surgeries. This results in a higher volume of surgeries with the goal of further reducing the number of off-island referrals.
The projects were made possible in part by the St. Maarten Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience Trust fund, funded by the Netherlands and managed by The World Bank and include several essential upgrades aimed towards expanding and increasing the level of care given at SMMC. All of the projects contribute to SMMC’s goal of providing high quality patient-centered care, close to home and preparing for the completion of and move to the St. Maarten General Hospital. The virtual tour can be viewed at https://youtu.be/5EAcyDYRhs8 or on Facebook.com/StMaartenMedicalCenter.
