A large portion of medical treatments that cannot be performed on Bonaire are conducted on the near­by islands of Curacao and Aruba. This information comes from the recently published report, “The Caribbean Nether­lands Health System Review.”

Medical referrals from St. Eustatius and Saba in 2023 went to St. Maarten 90% of the time. Other referrals were mainly to Colombia and the Netherlands.

Annually, an average of about 5,658 patients are referred for care outside the so-called BES, based on data from 2017 to 2023. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of medical treatments performed on other islands was signifi­cantly lower.

The total cost for medical referrals in 2023 was US $43.7 million, including both logistical and medical expenses.

The Daily Herald.