Saba News News and Information from Saba Island, Dutch Caribbean
Care for the elderly on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba (so-called BES islands) is becoming increasingly complex, wrote outgoing State Secretary Judith Tielen of Public Health to the Second Chamber of Parliament in The Hague. The Dutch government is therefore focusing on addressing staff shortages, further training, housing, and palliative care, i.e., care for people with terminal illnesses.
The caretaker VVD state secretary was answering questions from the House of Representatives Committee for Public Health about the 2026 budget presented in September. Members specifically inquired about the current state of elderly care in the Caribbean Netherlands. They also wanted to know if additional funding is available.
The number of elderly people has grown significantly over the past ten years, wrote Tielen. This has led to increased collaboration between healthcare organisations. As examples, she cites the Cockpit Group Ketenal Alliance Elderly Care on Bonaire and a similar partnership on St. Eustatius.
The health insurance has been expanded to include geriatric rehabilitation care, aimed at the recovery of elderly people after, for example, a hospital stay. In addition, there are more activities for the growing group of elderly people with dementia.
These developments require attention in several areas in the coming period, according to the state secretary. She cited staff shortages, professional development and collaboration between healthcare providers in client care. Furthermore, there is a need for more palliative care, for example, in hospices. Attention is also needed for both small-scale and large-scale residential facilities.
The Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and Sport VWS has allocated additional funding for elderly care in 2024, intended for daytime activities, meal services, home care and social support.
The amounts are 7.5 and 6.1 million euros in 2025 and 2026. Between 4.3 and 4.8 million will be available annually from 2027 to 2029.
The Daily Herald.
