Additional effort on prevention policy

In the meetings during this visit Blokhuis especially wants to discuss possibilities for extra effort  on prevention policy for the Caribbean Netherlands with politicians, professionals and residents of the Islands. Prevention is a point of concern, because there is a relatively large number of overweight in the Caribbean Netherlands, many people move insufficiently and the consumption of alcohol is relatively high and many children have to deal with passive smoking.

St. Maarten and Curaçao

The visit of the State Secretary starts with the participation in the “Vierlandenconferentie” on Curaçao on Friday June 22nd, 2018. At this conference members of government of Aruba, Curaçao, St. Maarten and the Netherlands make agreements on the mutual support at the introduction and conservation of the international health regulations of the WHO in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom.

On St. Maarten Blokhuis visits among others the St. Maarten Medical Center and he discusses the consequences of hurricane Irma for the care for residents of St. Maarten and residents of the other Windward Islands, who are depending on the care on St. Maarten.
All health care, elderly care and child welfare in the Caribbean Netherlands are the responsibility of the State Secretary for Health, Welfare and Sport.