Themed ‘As strong as the weakest link', the health care conference will be held on Friday the 23rd and Saturday 24th of January, aimed at sensitizing all stakeholders on the establishment of better arrangements between caregivers about the content and the organization of the care. The ultimate aim is to establish Case Management in St. Maarten and define realistic goals for 2009.
Officially opened by Commissioner Maria Buncamper - Molanus, the conference will feature several presentations on Case Management by local providers from the perspective of the Specialists, the General practitioners and the Physiotherapists. Keynote speaker dr. Kliphuis will talk about the experiences in the Dutch health care system and Asin will make a presentation on the Diabetes Mellitus Disease Management (DMDM) program, themed "One step back, two steps forward". "Both are well respected experts in their field," said Commissioner Buncamper Molanus.
Kliphuis, director of the Dutch Association for Primary Health Care made his career at the Ministry of Health in the Netherlands, where he was responsible for the national policy on emergency care, primary health care and public health. He also served as department director for the municipal public health department of the City of Utrecht. He has a lot of expertise (both international and national) in the development and implementation of policies on emergency care, primary health care and public health. He is also a (non-communicable diseases) consultant for the World Health Organization Europe.
Asin, Founder and Director Healthcare strategies & solutions ACSION bv, which operates in the Netherlands and Netherland Antilles, actually worked as Emergency Physician at the St. Marten Medical Center in the mid nineties, early on in his career. Subsequently he worked as Resident Obstetrics & Gynecology at the Academic Hospital in Maastricht, The Netherlands, as Management consultant for the The Boston Consulting Group in Baarn, The Netherlands and as Medical advisor for Pfizer bv in the Netherlands.
The conference is organized on behalf of the Sector Health Care Affairs by consultancy firm For A Change Unlimited. Rolando Tobias will act as moderator. drs. Pyt Lucas, Principal of For A Change, said preparations are well underway. "We expect good attendance. All invitations have already been sent out, but anyone who hasn't received one and is interested in attending can contact our office via email address This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.," said Lucas.