PHILIPSBURG:--- MP Romou was elated to hear of the recent court ruling allowing TWO BIG psychiatrists, Dr. Nijdam and Dr. Kelbrick-Furstenburg to open their own practice to provide mental health care services to the people of Sint Maarten. MP Romou stated that she completely agrees with the judge’s conclusion that there is a current acute shortage of psychiatric services and that the doctors should be granted an exemption to offer their services via their practice – something she has been lobbying for since 2020.
As you may recall, it was just some months ago MP Romou made her concerns public about the revocation of the licenses of the psychiatrists. MP Romou stated in her then press release “The pandemic has shed light now more than ever, on how important mental health is and has also magnified our shortages as a country when it comes to mental health care. We cannot continue to do our fellow brothers and sisters of this country a disservice when it comes to their mental health.” MP Romou even questioned the current situation on the island, saying “With the evident lack of qualified psychiatrists – can we really continue with the current status quo with an overburdened Mental Health Foundation which lacks enough psychiatrists to truly deliver quality care for all? It also leads me to question if such a decision is really and truly in the best interest of the people of St. Maarten? Is Mental Health considered a monopoly on the island? Is it truly MHF way or no way at all?”.
Upon hearing the news of the court ruling, MP Romou says she was exhilarated by the decision because she knows that the people that will benefit the most from this outcome is the people of Sint Maarten. “More persons can get the help they need and more importantly, more lives may be saved. I wish to congratulate Dr. Nijdam and Dr. Kelbrick for staying the course and for being persistent in their fight to deliver mental health care to the people of Sint Maarten. The work is only now beginning, and I implore you to always keep the best interest of our people at heart”.
