~ Doctor mocked patient at SMMC. No agreement in place between the Dominican Republic and St. Maarten.~
PHILIPSBURG/ Dominican Republic:--- The St. Maarten resident Egbert Hector Richardson who is currently a patient at CEDIMAT Dominican Republic went overseas on his own to seek further medical treatment after having surgery at the St. Maarten Medical Center.
Edison Adamus the Director and Pastor of Key to Freedom said that Richardson is a resident at Key to Freedom since he is in rehabilitation for substance abuse.
He explained that Richardson had a hernia and he was operated upon at the St. Maarten Medical Center. Adamus said after the surgery Richardson ended up with swelling around the area he had the hernia. It is understood that when Richardson went back to the St. Maarten Medical Center, to see the surgeon who operated on him the surgeon decided to make fun of Richardson which in turn bruised his ego as a male.
Adamus said because of the statements made by the specialist and surgeon at the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) Richardson opted to travel to the Dominican Republic to seek further medical attention. His intention along with that of his relatives was to shoulder the expenses for his medical treatment while in the Dominican Republic. However, while there Richardson fell very ill and had to be rushed to the emergency care at CEDIMAT.
Adamus said that when he reached the hospital the doctors there told him that he was in luck because Richardson could have lost his life because he had an ulcer in his stomach that he was unaware of, and the ulcer had ruptured causing the internal bleeding.
Adamus explained that Richardson did not go to the Dominican Republic for the ulcer and that the funds he went there with have since run out and they are unable to pay for a much-needed surgery and further hospitalization. He explained that the only reason the relatives of Richardson went public was because CEDIMAT wanted to discharge the critically ill patient.
Minister of Health Omar Ottley said in a video that patients seeking treatment overseas must obtain a referral letter in order for USZV to cover all expenses.
In an invited comment the Minister of Health said that when the video surfaced today Thursday only then USZV and the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) became aware that the patient had left the island and was in the Dominican Republic. The Minister further explained that he tried to obtain the patient's medical file from the SMMC but was unable to get the file since the patient’s medical information is confidential. “Ottley: even though I am the Minister of Health, SMMC and USZV do not release patients’ medical information to me. It’s the relatives of the patients that have to request the file and if they so desire, they can then share it with the cabinet. I did my own research and I also listened to Richardson in the videos and he himself said that he was taken in a tunnel for testing. Indeed, after Richardson went back to SMMC with swelling post-surgery, it was discovered he had a lot of liquid in the area and it was drained, Richardson was suffering from severe pain in his back, spine, and other areas, and because of this he was sent for an MRI, however, the result for the MRI takes two weeks before the results are made available. From all indications I get that Richardson did not want to wait that long, so he took off to the Dominican Republic and he did not inform anyone.”
Ottley also explained that St. Maarten no longer sends patients to the Dominican Republic and there is no current agreement in place between the country St. Maarten and hospitals in the Dominican Republic including CEDIMAT. He said the last patient was sent to the Dominican Republic in 2020 and since then no other agreements have been signed.
