PHILIPSBURG:---  Member of Parliament Omar Ottley has issued a strong call to the Government, urging immediate intervention to address what he describes as a "worsening crisis" at the St. Maarten Medical Centre (SMMC). Ottley warns that allegations of chronic mismanagement, deteriorating working conditions, and a troubling lack of transparency burden the island's healthcare workers and jeopardize the quality of patient care. The workers have been displaying their frustration by wearing black attire this week. According to reports from medical professionals, the situation at SMMC has reached an alarming state. Essential operating rooms remain in disrepair, financial mismanagement persists, and basic concerns such as cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) and pension security through ENNIA remain unresolved.
Employees also claim that the Human Resources department neglects hospital operations in favor of external affairs. These grievances, compounded by allegations of lack of communication from hospital management, are cause for concern, especially since the overall situation has left many workers frustrated and afraid to voice their concerns due to fear of retaliation. MP Ottley said on Wednesday, "What troubles me the most is the deafening silence from the Minister of VSA in addressing these serious concerns."
"The situation at SMMC is no secret that it directly affects the quality of healthcare on our island. Yet, rather than tackling these issues head-on, we see last-minute meeting cancellations, continued reliance on external consultants, and questionable financial decisions." Ottley also raised questions about the role of the Minister of VSA and whether any action is being taken, as workers have indicated that no clear solutions have been provided to alleviate their struggles or to improve conditions at SMMC. "This is not about who fixes the problem. It's about getting it fixed," Ottley continued.
"The healthcare workers at SMMC should not have to beg for basic working conditions, proper leadership, or financial clarity. The lack of response from the Government is unacceptable." For almost a year, workers at SMMC have voiced their frustrations over financial mismanagement and a perceived lack of proper oversight in critical decision-making. One major concern is the hospital's continued expenditure on short-term fixes rather than long-term sustainable solutions. Additionally, despite persistent issues within the hospital, a team is being sent to the Netherlands to recruit foreign personnel, a move that Ottley views as contradictory, given that local professionals are reportedly being sidelined. "Why is local talent being overlooked while efforts are being made to hire from the Netherlands? Why are we seeing contracts with St. Maarteners being terminated, yet recruitment missions abroad are being prioritized?", Ottley questioned.
“As minister I took the necessary steps to ensure that a local was placed at the helm of the hospital. Additionally, a lack of financial leadership within SMMC is raising red flags. Despite the hospital's financial struggles, the administration has yet to appoint an in-house Chief Financial Officer (CFO), leaving critical financial decision-making in the hands of external consultants rather than dedicated hospital leadership.”
The MP went on to state, “Our healthcare system and its workers deserve better.” Ottley has made it clear that the Government is failing the healthcare workers and the people of St. Maarten by ignoring the workers' concerns. Should there be no immediate action, he is prepared to take further steps and call the Minister of VSA to the floor of Parliament.

PHILIPSBURG (DCOMM):--- World Oral Health Day (WOHD) 2025 will be observed on Thursday, 20 March, this year, under the theme “A Happy Mouth is…A Happy Mind.”

According to the FDI World Dental Federation, a happy mouth represents many aspects of well-being, and FDI began their journey by exploring the links between oral health and physical health.

As FDI enters the second year of its campaign, FDI shifts the focus this time spotlighting how a happy mouth contributes to a happy mind. The campaign this year addresses another vital topic: the connection between oral health and mental well-being.

Oral health means the health of the mouth. A healthy mouth allows you to speak, smile, smell, taste, touch, chew, swallow and convey a range of emotions with confidence and without pain, discomfort, and disease. No matter what your age – 5, 25, 65 or 85 years – oral health is vital to your general health and well-being.

Oral diseases, while largely preventable, pose a major health burden for many countries and affect people throughout their lifetime, causing pain, discomfort, disfigurement and even death.

It is estimated that oral diseases affect nearly 3.5 billion people.
Untreated dental caries (tooth decay) in permanent teeth is the most common health condition according to the Global Burden of Disease 2019.

Oral health is important for overall health, and prevention, early detection and treatment of oral diseases is important to stop any negative effects on the rest of the body.

Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department within the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labor (Ministry VSA), calls on the community to not neglect oral health as oral diseases can be prevented and treated.

Oral diseases are the most common noncommunicable disease (NCD).

Behavioral risk factors for oral diseases are shared with other major NCDs, such as an unhealthy diet high in free sugars, tobacco use and harmful use of alcohol.

WOHD is an international day to celebrate the benefits of a healthy mouth and to promote worldwide awareness of the issues surrounding oral health and the importance of oral hygiene.

To reduce oral diseases, it is up to you to take preventative measures.

Twice-daily tooth brushing with fluoride-containing toothpaste (1000 to 1500 ppm) is encouraged. Long-term exposure to an optimal level fluoride results in substantially lower incidence and prevalence of tooth decay across all ages.

Eat a well-balanced diet low in sugar; eat adequate amounts of fruit and vegetables which may have a protective role in oral cancer prevention; and reduce smoking and alcohol consumption.

Seul le prononcé fait foi

Prime Minister of Saint Lucia and Chairman of the OECS Authority, Honorable Philip J. Pierre
Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica, Honourable Roosevelt Skerrit
Prime Minister of Grenada, Honourable Dickon Mitchell
Premier of Montserrat, Honourable Reuben T. Meade
Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew
Premier of the British Virgin Islands, Honourable Natalio Wheatley
Premier of Anguilla, Honourable Cora Richardson–Hodge
President of the Collectivity of Saint Martin, Honourable Louis Mussington
Minister of Finance and Official Representative of the Government of Saint Vincent of the Grenadines, Honourable Camillo Gonsalves
2nd Vice President and Official Representative of the Regional Council of Guadeloupe, Madame. Marie Luce Penchard
Elected Member of the Assembly of Martinique and Official Representative of the President of the Executive Council, Madame Michelle Monrose

Ministers of Governments of the OECS Member States
Director General of the OECS, His Excellency Dr. Didacus Jules
Ambassador of France towards Eastern Carribbean state Saint-Lucia, BARBADOS & OECS,
Monsieur le Préfet, Cyrille Le Vély
Elected Members of the territorial council of Saint-Martin,
Elected Member of Sint Maarten, Mme Mélissa Gumbs
Elected member of Saint-Barthélémy, Madame Mélissa Lake
Ambassadors and Commissioners of the OECS Member States
Director General of the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority, Mr. Anthony Whittier
Representative of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, Mr. Gregory Girard
Delegates of the OECS Member States to the 76th Meeting of the OECS Authority
Dear local partners, in your ranks and qualities

Today, I take great joy in what is happening and being a part of it.
For some reason, as I look back, it feels like my involvement in bringing about change within the reality of the subregion that my island, St Martin belongs to, is finally shaping up and taking on a true significance.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that this is the pinnacle.
However, this ceremony of accession of Saint-Martin to OECS is definitely a key moment for Saint-Martin, an historical one.
As I’m looking to the audience I see cultural diversity, I see our young caribbean from Saint-Martin, the future of our Island involved as well in sharing this moment with us.

My dear friends of Saint-Martin,
Much has been accomplished. The change of Status in 2007 has been a major accomplishment that we are still busy finetuning. Since its implementation, some progress has been achieved in the manner in which we relate to France, to the other French overseas territories and outermost regions or even to European countries. Yet, much precision much detailed understanding still needs to be gained and added to the actual prerogatives, privileges, and specificities we could enjoy on the basis of our community, Saint-Martin, being governed by article 74 of the French Constitution and by article 349 at the European level

As a French Outermost Region, our intention is to sharpely define the particulars that will characterize the actual profile of our island, which, from times passed, has been inclined to Caribbean integration while none of its French sibblings saw the need for it. The question before us today is, how does this territory become a spearhead of new realities within this regional or international organization that it joins? could this new move be the opportunity to translate convictions that have always animated the leaders of this territory as they have had to govern it over the past 60 to 70 years?

Saint-Martin has always been an integral part of the subregional reality that is constituted of the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, St Kitts & Nevis, Saba, Statia, Sint Maarten and Saint Barthélemy. Most families here have blood ties in the neighboring islands. There’s a popular saying on Saint-Martin from a former politician that goes:” the gale does not stop at the border”. If this is not a clear indication that our concerns have always gone further that physical borders of this territory, then I have not been listening to them. What concerns one, concerns all, and so the idea of integration has been one that we have been toying with for many, many years now without being able to give it a precise definition.

Some may say that the concept of Caribbean integration has been a topic of discussion for decades, yet attaining its reality remains elusive. I grant it to them; some significant barriers still exist, preventing the seamless integration of Caribbean countries and territories, and may I say that that is the perspective of the pessimitic and short-sighted even though we are witnessing the accession of Saint-Martin to the OECS, allow me to say that for the optimistic, more than a distant ideal, as we are about to accede to the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, is looking more like an achievable goal.

Some may even ask why member states should accede to the OECS when there are so many economic disparities.

If limitations of small size have been the main motive for economic integration initiatives, I invite you to observe the ever existing extra-economic motives for the broader project of regional integration.
These include sharing the costs of common services and functional cooperation, pooling bargaining power in international fora and affirming a common West Indian identity. When European countries do it, it makes sense. When the United States of America do it, it makes sense, when Asian countries do it, it makes senses, when the island of the Pacific do it, it makes. As we are joining the OECS to share the costs of common services and launch functional cooperation, as we chose to pool our bargaining power as we relate in international fora and affirm a common West Indian identity, the nit also makes perfect sense!
“Emancipating ourselves from mental slavery” has been admonished to us to by a famous thinker that I think I do not even need to name... That is excactly and precisely what we are doing.
If the Caribbean authorities broadly agree that integration should remain a top priority and greater collaboration is critical to tackle common challenges, it is therefore important for Saint-Martin to capitalize on this momentum.

Factors that promote regional integration may be looked on as both domestic and external matters that affect the region, chief among them are globalization and trade liberalization.

On a broader level, recent geopolitical developments herald turbulent times, a redefinition of the world's political landscape, and the emergence of a new world order. A new form of modern-day crusade is emerging. It is through unity anchored in our shared Caribbean identity, and our common will to work together to achieve the interests and ambitions of our respective populations, including those of Saint-Martin, that we will face up to this challenge.

Think about it, though we are diverse, some speaking English, some Spanish, some Dutch, some Creole or Papiamentu and some French, we have a common history and cultural heritage, especially as former colonies of European powers.
As Caribbean countries, we share common economic and social issues.
As small insular territories, our countries are also affected by the effects of globalization, trade liberalization, trading blocs
The region that we constitute – because we are ONE region - is facing vulnerability and volatility to external economic shocks and natural disasters.
Cooperation by working together as a region will help to overcome the challenges of having a small population and economy.This is so as cooperation and integration, particularly in trade, will produce a larger regional market.

I am not teaching you anything when I say “there is strength in unity”. The Caribbean must take this literally if we are to promote and benefit from regional integration. That will increase necessary cooperation among island territoriers or states as we venture more into the future. .As a group, our countries will be better able to negotiate among the world’s most powerful nations. Integration will further help us to compete internationally as a united group. This venture will also help them to reduce the negative effects that are presumed to be associated with issues such as globalization. It should, therefore, help us to be better able to respond to economic implications of globalization and trade liberalization.
There will be an improvement in the duality of life of the population as a result of access to a variety of goods and services. Each individual island will have many more persons to whom goods can be sold, apart from those within its own immediate borders. The development of various groups, institutions and organizations that will respond to the needs of each island as it seeks to promote the freedom of travel among islands and the ability to find work, which should decrease unemployment and underemployment.

Greater cooperation is the key to furthering regional integration in the Caribbean. While these economies’ small size and supply constraints may potentially limit benefits from economic integration, acting as a group can enhance the scale, bringing widespread benefits and helping the region further tap into global value chains. That is, regional integration should not be an end-goal, but a means to an end of deepening Caribbean integration into the global economy.

Significant economic differences exist between Caribbean nations, with GDP per capita varying widely. These disparities impact the feasibility of uniform economic policies and contribute to uneven development and investment opportunities across the region.

Long-standing historical grievances and territorial disputes continue to hinder diplomatic relations and cooperation among Caribbean territories. These issues are deeply embedded in the national identities and historical narratives of the countries involved, complicating efforts towards regional integration. But as Saint-Martin joins the OECS, as a Collectivité d’Outre-Mer, governed by article 74 of the Constitution and enjoying autonomy, new possibilities, labeled as “territorial diplomacy” ly ahead, introducing potential arrangements that could only push relationships forward.

Territorial diplomacy is the “small” foreign policy practised by local and regional authorities, who thereby become genuine actors in international relations. It originally began with the policy of Franco-German town-twinning after World War Two for the purpose of reconciliation. With the autonomous Overseas Community of Saint-Martin, joining the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, a new type of reconciliation is being tackled. The prodigal child is finally returning home to participate in the management of the affairs of the Caribbean as a homestead.

I am therefore very pleased to officially announce today the deployment of a genuine regional External Action policy for Saint-Martin. Today, through our membership of the OECS, we are establishing a formal inter-institutional dialogue. This closer relationship with our neighbours will be supported by strengthened and structured cooperation and initiatives in a variety of areas such as health and medical services, SME growth, trade and education, to name but a few.
This quest for economic prosperity and human development for my fellow citizens makes all the more sense given that Saint-Martin, despite its small size, is geo-strategically positioned and belongs to two spheres of political influence: one immediate and Caribbean, the other more distant and European.
My dear friends of the Friendly Island,
Saint-Martin is making its regional integration official today. To integrate, borrowed from the Latin ‘INTREGRARE’, means that our membership of the OECS will ‘REPAIR’ this missing part of ourselves.
Saint-Martin, as a land of resilience,
Saint-Martin, as a land of diversity,
Saint-Martin, united and supportive,
Saint-Martin, as associate member of the OECS

To face together a single common destiny for a stronger and more resilient Caribbean.

Louis MUSSINGTON

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Inspectorate of Taxes is reminding businesses that the deadline for paying and filing the 2024 Provisional Profit Tax Form is Monday, March 31, 2025.

To ensure compliance, businesses must submit the tax return form either at the cashier’s window or at the window at the Tax office in the Vineyard Building.

For cash/debit card payments, you can proceed to the Receivers Office. Payments can also be made at the Windward Islands Bank (WIB) to the Receivers Office Sint Maarten’s Naf. account: 324800-03 or US$ account: 324800-05 or Royal Bank (RBC) Naf. Account: 8200000005425048 or Us$ account: 8200000403930461.

Or pay via online banking at your bank. Be sure to mention in the description box:

- Crib number;
- Year;
- Provisional profit tax

Businesses are encouraged to meet the deadline. For further information or assistance, contact the Inspectorate of Taxes via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..