The SIKI Foundation, a platform representing the voice of patients in Aruba, expressed its deep concern regarding recent public statements about the national hospital’s financial situation. Led by its president and legal expert Jayburtt Dijkhoff, the foundation strongly questions the management of resources and demands that the well-being and care of patients be placed back as the top priority.
According to the foundation, the narrative that the government does not provide sufficient financial resources and that a structural deficit hinders care guarantees raises serious questions about transparency and how funds in this sector have been managed, questioning whether public money has truly been handled well.
Financial hole and the real priority of the patient
The platform openly questions how a healthcare institution can arrive at a financial deficit reaching nearly one million florins per month. SIKI notes that in recent years, major investments and works were undertaken on the hospital’s infrastructure and building to create a more modern and beautiful environment. However, the foundation points out that it remains unclear whether the ultimate priority—the patient and the quality of medical care—received that same level of attention and resources.
While SIKI acknowledges that Aruba’s population has grown and that the demand for healthcare services has increased significantly, the organization highlights the absence of a transparent mechanism through which relevant authorities account in detail for how public florins and resources are being spent.
The SIKI Foundation emphasizes troubling neglect in highly sensitive and delicate areas of public health that cannot be reduced or ignored as simple numbers:
- Cardiovascular diseases: Lack of adequate resources and care to properly treat these conditions.
- Cancer care: Deficiencies and lack of necessary screening to combat one of the leading causes of mortality in our community.
- Elderly citizens: Lack of moral support and specialized care needed by our seniors, who often feel abandoned when hospitalized.
Along these lines, the foundation recalls the history of the hospital renovation project, whose costs doubled and tripled without strict control or transparent accountability to the people of Aruba. SIKI warns that this same pattern appears to be repeating itself today across healthcare services and resources.
For this reason, the platform led by Jayburtt Dijkhoff makes an urgent call to establish a transparent, intersectoral dialogue. This dialogue table must involve all healthcare partners, the Department of Finance, the public, and above all, the patients themselves.
The goal of this dialogue must be to clearly establish where true priorities lie, acknowledge existing limitations, and find more humane, fair, and effective solutions for the entire community. One cannot simply claim more money is needed; there must be proof and accountability regarding why more funding is required and what wrong management priorities led to the alarming situation facing the hospital once again today.