PHILIPSBURG (DCOMM):---  For the past two weekends, the American University of the Caribbean (AUC) School of Medicine, in collaboration with the Positive Foundation and the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development, and Labor (Ministry VSA), hosted two successful free breast and health screening events in Philipsburg.

About two dozen AUC students under supervision of clinical medicine fellows, Drs. Luna Emogene and Pathik Patel provided 63 women with general health assessments that included background health history, checking vital signs, calculating body mass index (BMI), measuring waist circumference, visual acuity, and blood glucose and cholesterol levels.

Each screening also included a free clinical breast examination by Dr. Naira Chobanyan, a clinical oncologist and professor of clinical medicine at AUC.

The educational part included a presentation of the risk factors for breast cancer, a demonstration of the clinical breast exam on plastic models, as well as an assessment of individual risk for breast cancer in participating women over 35.

The results of this study are vital for understanding the prevalence of breast abnormalities within the population of Sint Maarten. All results will be reported to the Ministry of VSA to help establish policies for screening breast abnormalities and cancer.

The major educational outcome of this project is the incorporation of the Learners-as-Educators model, a unique teaching tool for medical students to cascade medical knowledge from Faculty to Fellows to Medical Students to the Community.

It was developed by Dr. Chobanyan, a principal-investigator of the project from the AUC team. For medical students and clinical medicine fellows, each health and breast screening event is an opportunity to work side-by-side with patients while practicing clinical and communication skills.

Students had the opportunity to explain the signs, symptoms, and risk factors of breast cancer while answering questions about personal breast health and self-care.

In addition to the benefits this research brings to the community of Sint Maarten, clinical fellows and medical students are afforded an opportunity to gain real-world clinical experience. 
By working with individual people, conducting interviews, and performing an overall health assessment, medical students can enhance their preparedness for clinical rotations.

Up to date, the total number of local women served within the breast screening project is 663, with a target goal of 1000. The project will continue in the next academic semester to reach its estimated total to obtain a representative sample of the target population.

~ Submit 2023 Income Tax Return Forms by May 31 Deadline ~

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Sint Maarten Tax Administration, in collaboration with the Community Development, Family, and Humanitarian Affairs (CDFHA) department within the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development, and Labour, informs seniors/pensioners that assistance is available for filling their 2023 Income Tax Return Form until the end of April through scheduled appointments at Community Helpdesks. After this period, seniors/pensioners can still receive assistance throughout May, but exclusively at the Tax Office through scheduled appointments.
Seniors/pensioners seeking assistance must earn a maximum of Naf 15,000.00 per year and should bring all required documents, such as a wage tax card, interest letter, etc., to their appointment.
Appointments for the month of April can be arranged by visiting their nearest Community Helpdesk Monday – Friday between 8.30 AM – 12.30 PM or by calling to schedule an appointment: 520-3418 (St. Peters), 520-4315 (Cole Bay), 520-7651 (Dutch Quarter), and 559-0819 (Hope Estate). Community Helpdesks are conveniently located across various neighborhoods, including Cole Bay (Union Road across from the ACE Mega Center), St. Peters (St. Peters Community Center), and Dutch Quarter (same complex as the former Dr. Bryson).
Throughout May, seniors/pensioners can continue to receive assistance exclusively at the Tax Office located in the Vineyard Building by appointment only. To schedule an appointment for the month of May, kindly reach out to the Tax Administration via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone at 542-2143 / 542-5301 / 542-5304 / 542-3839.

SABA:--- Public Entity Saba is set to receive a Search and Rescue (SAR) Boat during the first half of 2025 to be used in the process of finding and rescuing people who are in distress on or in the water, such as in the case of vessel collision, passengers going overboard or a plane crash. This will be funded by the Dutch Government via The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (IenW) following research done during 2018 and 2019 by Marius Sliedrecht (IenW, Aviation department), which revealed the need for a SAR vessel. Based on the plan (2021/2022) formulated by Project Leader Hans Schreuder, there will be a budget not only for a vessel but also for maintenance, certified yearly training of the crew, and professional equipment. Alongside this, a professional management organization will be established on Saba.
The launch of a SAR vessel marks a significant enhancement in the safety of both residents and visitors, fulfilling a long-awaited request from Saba. The importance of the ship cannot be understated, as in emergencies, the reaction time of the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard may be lengthy, and there are currently no formalized SAR operations on Saba, increasing the risk of those in distress while at sea.
Airport Manager Maegan Hassell, stressed the importance of having a SAR boat available, especially due to the location of the Saba airport, as there is a requirement of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) that “where an airport/aerodrome is located close to water, and where a significant portion of approach or takeoff operations takes place over these areas, a plan should be in place which includes the ready availability of, and coordination with, appropriate specialist rescue services”. The easy accessibility of this new vessel would then increase the efficiency of maritime rescue operations.
The emergency vessel, the Habbeké Fast Rescue Craft 903, will be a minimum 30-foot boat specially crafted to handle Caribbean waters, as well as the salt from the ocean, strong winds, and high temperatures. It will have the capacity to hold 21 persons and four people of the rescue team and will be locally maintainable. The open console boat, with two Volvo Penta 270 hp engines, will have jets instead of propellers for safety reasons. A similar rescue boat is currently in use by the Civil Rescue organization of Curaçao since 2015. The boat should take between 9 to 12 months to be built, with the goal of being fully operational within the first half of 2025.
Training in SAR operations will be offered to a crew of 4 people, via a transparent selection process, with the goal of growing to 8 crew members in total. This training will be held in collaboration with the KNRM (Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue) who will facilitate a certified training for Saba and Sint Eustatius in their own specific waters. Further collaboration between Saba and Sint Eustatius will occur through management and sharing technical and maintenance capacity.
Governor Jonathan Johnson expressed his gratitude to the Ministry for the funding and for the assistance of Hans Schreuder in involving the stakeholders during the process.
“We realize the local situation and the need to ensure international requirements are met. Through patience and persistence, we will actualize a necessary resource for our island,” said Governor Johnson.

The colonial slavery past of the Netherlands and its impact have had a profound effect on various countries worldwide. Nevertheless, the knowledge available about this joint slavery past has been written primarily from a colonial perspective. In order to enhance this perspective, Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf (Education, Culture and Science) is launching a global scientific cooperation program on this theme in Aruba today. He announced this today during a knowledge mission in the Caribbean.

Dijkgraaf: “More scientific knowledge of our shared past is of vital importance. In this context, it is essential that research can be carried out from new angles, at the locations where slavery took place. The knowledge this produces will be of great value in gaining a better understanding of our shared history. I am delighted that I can launch this research program during the Slavery Past Memorial Year.”

Kick-off in the Caribbean

Dijkgraaf wants to promote knowledge cooperation about the slavery past among universities worldwide, starting within our own Kingdom. He has set aside €375,000 for research in Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten up to and including 2027. This will enable local scientists to research the past history of slavery in these countries.

Research into this theme will also be facilitated in the Caribbean Netherlands (Bonaire, Saba, and St. Eustatius). There is a separate budget for this.

Common thread worldwide

The Netherlands also has deep ties with Suriname, Indonesia and South Africa because of a shared slavery past. In these countries, many enslaved people were traded or shipped elsewhere by the Dutch.

The historical and present-day context differs from one country to another. Bringing the various perspectives together will create great added value for a better understanding of our joint history. This is why Dijkgraaf, together with Suriname, Indonesia and South Africa, wants to stimulate scientific research into the slavery past in these countries as well. The idea for this arose during knowledge missions to these countries, where Dijkgraaf spoke with several scientists who research the slavery past. The plan is to structure the scientific cooperation along similar lines as in the Caribbean part of our Kingdom.

The first talks with these countries have been positive. There is profound consensus about the importance of scientific cooperation.

Knowledge sharing

Sharing knowledge is a key premise of the global research program. The form this will take is currently being worked out. Initial ideas include the creation of a research network, travelling exhibitions, a book, or opening and closing conferences. Dutch scientists will also have a role in this process. This will be given further shape later this year.

Greater scope for multiple perspectives in education and research

Last year, State Secretary Alexandra van Huffelen announced during the Tula commemoration in Curaçao that the government would establish a chair on the slavery past for Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten. Dijkgraaf is now giving substance to this as part of the scientific cooperation program, in the form of an international chair on the impact of the slavery past. In addition, the government has already announced the Tula scholarship, named after the leader of the large-scale uprising of enslaved people in Curaçao of 1795. Each year, this scholarship enables one student from Curaçao to follow a full-time bachelor’s program in history teaching at a university of applied sciences of their choice. This will create greater scope for multiple perspectives in education and research.