PHILIPSBURG:--- While St. Maarten still grapples with mounting healthcare deficits and warnings from the Committee for Financial Supervision (Cft), United People’s Party leader (UPP) MP Omar E.C. Ottley is raising sharp concerns over the upcoming leadership transition at SZV. With its director Glen Carty’s tenure at the helm of SZV coming to an end, Ottley warns that the appointment of new leadership must be transparent and not become another example of government mismanagement. He notes that recent controversies from the troubled appointment processes at utilities company GEBE to the ongoing debate around the Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten’s chairmanship have already eroded public confidence in the government’s ability to handle sensitive, high-stakes positions.
“Healthcare financing is already in crisis,” Ottley stressed, referring to Minister of VSA Richinel Brug’s admission that SZV faces annual deficits of XCG. 30–35 million and cumulative shortfalls approaching XCG. 500 million. “If government again botches the appointment process, as it has with other government-owned entities, then we risk destabilizing one of the most critical aspects of our society at precisely the time when healthcare needs are at their highest.”
Ottley emphasized that the next SZV director must be a seasoned professional with the expertise to navigate both financial reform and operational improvement. “This is not the time for political rewards or appointments based on loyalty to a party. The person at the helm of SZV will be managing an institution under severe strain, with the eyes of the Cft, the IMF, and the people of St. Maarten on its performance.” In addition, as a former Minister of VSA, MP Ottley expected that the newly appointed CEO succeeding Mr. Carty would shadow him prior to formally assuming the function.
Brug, in his recent response to the Cft, pointed to measures such as stricter referral controls, cost containment, and preventative healthcare to address the deficit, alongside the appointment of three new SZV board members. But for Ottley, the credibility of those reforms depends on who is entrusted with leadership at the executive level.
“The public has seen what happens when the government mishandles appointments: delays, instability, and loss of trust,” Ottley said. “We cannot afford the same with SZV. A poorly managed process would confirm what many already fear—that this government is incapable of handling its responsibilities where governance and accountability are most needed.”
Ottley’s call comes at a time when the healthcare system’s very sustainability is under threat, with projections showing SZV’s reserves could be depleted as early as 2029. Against that backdrop, he insists, the leadership choice at SZV is not just another appointment; it is a defining test of the government’s competence and commitment to the people’s well-being.
