THE BOTTOM- During a Central Committee meeting of the Saba Island Council this week, members of both the Island- and Executive Council made critical remarks about health insurer Care and Youth Caribbean Netherlands ZJCN.

The council members expressed concerns about the fact that people need additional insurance when travelling abroad. Regular medical care is not covered when people go to, for example St. Maarten, Curaçao, Aruba or the Netherlands. Only emergency care is covered and then only with a registration form issued by ZJCN.

Councilman Hemmie Van Xanten said that, much to his dismay, he saw a notice of ZJCN in the media reminding people to secure travel insurance when going abroad. “The notice says we’re only covered in the Caribbean Netherlands, but people don’t go to Bonaire to shop, they go to St. Maarten,” said Van Xanten.

Baffled

Buncamper said he was “baffled” by the ZJCN notice. In general, he felt that under ZJCN, healthcare on the islands had become “very businesslike” with insufficient attention for the patients’ needs and concerns.