Recent public complaints on social media have once again exposed the lack of timely medical care for our senior citizens, who are being sent home with severe fractures without receiving the necessary surgery or treatment.
While blame is often cast on the Ministry of Public Health, the direct responsibility for treatment, medical scheduling, and the quality of service in the hospital lies not with the minister, but with the direction and management body of the institution itself.
• Hospital Director and Executive Board (Raad van Bestuur): Have the direct duty to guarantee quality care, manage staff and resources to prevent surgical delays, and ensure that patients receive dignified and timely care.
• Supervisory Board (Raad van Toezicht): Is tasked with supervising the executive management, demanding accountability, and making decisive interventions if healthcare is at risk.
Blaming the minister is simply an excuse to avoid accountability for the internal mismanagement that has persisted for several years under the current leadership. When leadership continuously demonstrates an inability to properly organize care, the only honorable path forward is the decent one: step aside and allow capable individuals to lead the changes the people of Aruba deserve.
Now that legal proceedings have been initiated, it is hoped that the court will gain even greater insight into the community’s outcry and a management team that fails to deliver care to citizens who pay to receive quality healthcare. Under the current director, it is clear that the Hospital has regressed, and healthcare in Aruba has declined.