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Appointment of Dr. Felix Holiday to the Board of Directors

CAY HILL - The Supervisory Council of the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) is pleased to inform of the appointment of Dr. Felix Holiday to the Board of Directors of the St. Maarten Medical Center.

The Board of Directors will now consist of two Directors; Kees Klarenbeek as General Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Dr. Felix Holiday who will hold the position of Medical Director.

Dr. Holiday has been an asset to the medical field on the island as well as to SMMC. Over the years, Dr. Holiday has held several leadership functions including President of the Medical Staff, President of the Medical Specialists Association, Medical Supervisor of the Emergency Room and most recently as Medical Coordinator of the St. Maarten Medical Center.

Currently, he is also the President of the Supervisory Council of the Mental Health Foundation Sint Maarten (MHF).

The incoming Medical Director, Dr. Holiday, has been a General Surgeon at the medical center for over 10 years. Additionally, Dr. Holiday is active as an educator on the island; he supervises surgical rotation interns of the VU Amsterdam at SMMC, and is an Associate Professor of Doctor-Patient Skills and Introduction to Clinical Medicine at the American University of Integrated Sciences (AUIS).

Dr. Holiday has shown his commitment to healthcare and the medical field on Sint Maarten for a substantial amount of years. With the addition of Dr. Holiday as Medical Director to the Board of Directors, the management and staff of the St. Maarten Medical Center will continue to work together in continuing to provide quality healthcare to the residents of St. Maarten, its visitors and residents of the neighboring islands.

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Dept. of STAT: Unemployment rate down to 6.2% in 2017

PHILIPSBURG - The Department of Statistics (STAT) released on Sunday main results of its 2017 Labour Force Survey.

The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a sample survey among households with the broad aim to measure the recent developments of the labour market.

The topics covered in the 2017 Labour Force Survey are:

          Demographics: gender, age, country of birth, nationality, marital status, years on island, migration intentions, relationship to head of household

          Education: highest level of education completed, diplomas, trainings

          Employment: employed status, main job, additional jobs, business ownership, economic status, contract details, membership to labour union, work benefits

          Unemployed: length of unemployment, reason for unemployment

          Income

Data-collection for this year’s LFS started January 16th and lasted about 7 weeks until the first week of March. A total of 1,200 households were visited, and the response rate was 76%.

The following are the key concepts and official definitions used in the computing of employment statistics, and some of the key findings of the survey.

Definition of employment: Employment refers to all persons aged 15 years and over who worked for pay any time during the reference week or who worked without pay for at least one hour in a family-operated business. Persons who were temporarily absent from their regular jobs because of vacation, illness, inclement weather, or similar reasons are also included.

Definition of unemployment: Unemployment refers to persons aged 15 years and over who did not work or have a job from which they were temporarily absent during the reference week, but were actively looking for work in the four weeks prior to the survey week, and were able and willing to work. Persons who did not look for work because they were on layoff or waiting to start a new job within the following 30 days are also classified as unemployed.

Definition of economically inactive: Economically Inactive refers to persons 15 years and over who were neither employed nor unemployed and who have not actively sought work in the last four weeks and/or are not available to start work in the next two weeks. This includes persons who are retired.

Labour Force (also called the economically active population): The number of employed and unemployed added together.

Unemployment rate: The number of unemployed divided by the labour force multiplied by 100.

Participation rate: The labour force divided by the total population multiplied by 100. It indicates what proportion of the total population is economically active.

It is important to note that the:2007 Labour Force Survey was conducted in March 2007 (High Season)2009 Labour Force Survey was conducted in June 2009 (Low Season) 2011 figures are based on the Population Census conducted in April 2011 (High Season)2013 Labour Force Survey was conducted in June 2013 (Low Season) 2017 Labour Force Survey was conducted in February 2017 (High Season).

The next scheduled Labour Force Survey will take place in the low season so that alternate comparisons can be made. Any direct comparisons between figures across the years should take this into consideration.

 
2007 2009 2011 2013 2017 % difference 2013 2017
Employed
20,720
21,378
17,108
19,137
20,954
9.5%
Unemployed
2,446
2,966
2,229
1,934
1,388
28.3%
Economically Inactive
6,601
7,323
6,867
7,482
9,846
31.6%
Labour Force
23,166
24,344
19,337
21,071
22,342
6.0%
Population
39,011
40,898
33,609
36,175
40,535
12.1%
Unemployment Rate
10.6%
12.2%
11.5%
9.2%
6.2%
3.0%
Participation Rate
59.4%
59.5%
57.5%
58.2%
55.1%
3.1%
Table 1: Labour force development 20072017
 
Age Groups Total Male Female
15 yrs – 24 yrs
23.83%
19.20%
28.05%
25 yrs – 44 yrs
6.09%
5.25%
6.80%
45 yrs and above
2.69%
2.89%
2.45%
Total
6.21%
5.38%
7.01%
Table 2. Unemployment rate by age category 2017

 

Household Income Households
No Income
3%
ANG 0001 – ANG 1.000
11%
ANG 1.001 – ANG 2.000
17%
ANG 2.001 – ANG 3.000
16%
ANG 3.001 – ANG 4.000
12%
ANG 4.001 – ANG 5.000
9%
ANG 5.001 – ANG 6.000
8%
ANG 6.001 – ANG 7.000
4%
ANG 7.001 – ANG 8.000
4%
ANG 8.001 – ANG 9.000
3%
ANG 9.001 – ANG 10.000
2%
ANG 10.001+
10%
Table 3. Household income
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Dance groups ready for Dance Mania 11 

PHILIPSBURG - Sunshine city promotions is once again hosting the annual dance group show called “Dance Mania” on Emancipation Day July 1 at the Festival Village. Organizers announced this past weekend that 13 groups signed up to participate in the dance showcase.   

The Sunshine city group promises to raise the bar this year and feature some of the island’s best dance group. The event also brings out a number of new groups to the fore front and gives them the opportunity to perform in front of their peers. This is the 11th edition of Dance Mania which has been the driving engine for upcoming dancers on the island for over a decade.

The groups have been preparing for months and several guest acts have been added to the showcase. Popular road band No Limit Band will open the show with their energetic performances and upcoming band ZTB will also guest perform for Dance Mania. The show will kick off at 7:00pm and tickets will go on sale this Wednesday only at Mc. Donald’s in Philipsburg.

Organizers thank Mc. Donald’s for being the main sponsor of the event. “We would like to invite the public to come out and see these youngsters perform for the first talent show for this year.  “Dance Mania is always full of surprises and this year will be no different. Because of the amount of groups that signed up this year, we decided to do it on a bigger scale. This is why we picked the Village to do the event. Special thanks to the SOG foundation for their cooperation,” stated organizers in press release on Sunday.   

Tickets are US $10 in advance and Sunshine City also decided to ask youngsters who would they like to see as the Masters of Ceremony for the evening and two students from Milton Peters College were picked. Laura Florez and Kathrin Baptist will host Dance Mania 11.

The groups participating are Rare Diamonds, Royal Illusion, AYM Girls, Reckless Gang, Aaliyahe Harrigan, Anonymous Crew, Dangerous Divas, Black Illusion, Dripping Apes, Dynasty Girls, Barbie’s, French side Dancers and Majestic squad. 

CATS

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Police department responds to alleged police attack on Riley

PHILIPSBURG - In response to the newspaper article of the Daily Herald in the edition of June 1st 2017 in which the man by the name of Glenville Riley stated that he was attacked and ill-treated by police on Monday May 29th on Back Street.

As a result of this ill-treatment, it is alleged he had suffered injuries to his right hand the police department is responding as follow, a Thursday statement says: The management of the Police force is well aware of this incident and the victim Glenville Riley has filed an official complaint with the Detective Department of ill-treatment.

The officers involved in this case have turned in a written report of the entire incident. A complete and thorough investigation into this case was ordered by the police chief and all documents will be forwarded to the Public Prosecutors Office for review and evaluation, who will finally decide how to further deal with this case. (Sint Police Department)

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Fewer Dutch graduates smoke but the tobacco industry is thriving

SINT MAARTEN/THE NETHERLANDS – Despite government efforts to discourage smoking, the Netherlands still has a considerable tobacco-related industry and the number of producers and wholesalers has remain virtually unchanged over the past 10 years.

According to figures from data company BoldData, the Netherlands currently has 80 tobacco wholesalers and 20 producers of tobacco products. While the number of producers had gone down by 2014, by 2017 the industry had recovered and is now at the same level as in 2007.

The only real decline is in the number of tobacconist’s stores, now down at 1,205, compared with 1,310 in 2007. This too is a rise of 25 on 2014, BoldData said. The CBS published new figures on Wednesday which show that the government’s efforts to discourage smoking have had more of an impact on people with university and college degrees than on the low-skilled.

The number of graduates who smoke has gone down from 34% in 1989 to 18%, the CBS said. Among the low-skilled, the drop has been from 38% to 28%. (DutchNews)

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Fire Fighters Rescue Man from Burning Building. Community cautioned to practice fire safety

GREAT BAY, (DCOMM) – Between Tuesday night, May 30th and Wednesday, May 31st personnel from the Fire Department rescued an elderly man from his burning home as he was trapped inside.

At around 11:06 PM the Fire Department dispatch received a call for a house fire in Cole Bay at Marianne Estate. When fire officers got to the location, flames were coming out of the windows, threatening to spread to a house in close proximity.

Firefighters quickly contained the blaze in one of the bedrooms, which allowed them to get the situation under control. One person was treated on the scene by ambulance personnel for smoke inhalation.

Shortly after returning to the Fire Station in Cay Hill, the Fire Department was called for another fire, this time at a house on E.C. Richardson Street in Philipsburg.

Upon arrival, bystanders told fire officers that there was a person inside the home. The intense flames and heat emanating from the front door and windows, made it somewhat difficult for fire personnel to immediately access the interior of the house to get to the occupant.

A quick assessment of the situation showed that the bedroom could only be accessed through the living room. However, this was totally engulfed. It is for this reason firefighters had to work expeditiously in order to minimize the fire, which eventually was lowered.

Although, the heat and smoke were still intense, fire officers quickly created access into the house allowing them to search for the individual.  Due to their thorough investigation, one team was able to locate the person in a back room.

In their effort to save the individual, he was rushed to the outside through the living room, the only exit at the time. After the person was safely taken away from the danger of the intense blaze and smoke, Basic Life Support was administered by fire personnel until the arrival of the ambulance personnel. The person was then transported to the St. Maarten Medical Center for medical treatment.

The Fire Department is grateful that they were able to rescue and save the individual from the ravaging fire.

For the past seven (7) days, the Fire Department has been called for six (6) house and or building fires, which resulted in minimum damage due to the rapid response of fire vehicles and officers.

In light of the recent fires, the Fire Department cautions everyone to continue to practice Fire Safety. This includes not leaving open flames like stoves and candles unattended.

Avoid leaving phones, laptops or other electronic equipment on flammable materials such as beds and or sofa, and in case of a fire you should immediately call 919.

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Know Your Numbers. Prevention and Control Prevents Premature Death

GREAT BAY, (DCOMM) – Hypertension is the main risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, which are the leading cause of death.

However, there is a wide disparity in the number of people who are aware of their hypertensive condition, those who are being treated and are not controlled, and those who are being treated and are controlled.

This makes it necessary to increase efforts to raise awareness and knowledge about hypertension, as well as initiatives to facilitate access to adequate and evidence-based treatment.

Sint Maarten’s calendar of health observances is to promote particular local or global health issues, and encourage the population to get regular check-ups.  

For the month of May, high blood pressure and stroke are the issues that has been chosen for further awareness.  This is an opportunity to emphasize the need to work on the prevention and control of hypertension, in order to prevent deaths from cardiovascular diseases.

In connection with the aforementioned, the Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department with the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development & Labour, is calling on the populace to ‘get healthy’ by being active, check your numbers, and eat healthy.

High blood pressure is also the second leading cause of disability in the world. It is also the main cause of ischemic heart disease and stroke.

Other complications no less significant due to poor blood pressure control are dilated heart disease, heart failure and arrhythmias.

The incidence of hypertension has doubled in the last five years in all social strata. It is estimated that between 20% and 40% of the adult population in the Region of the Americas suffer from hypertension.

At the global level, it is estimated that of the people with hypertension, only 57% know their condition, 40.6% receive antihypertensive drug treatment but only 13.2% achieve controlled blood pressure figures.

This gap between the number of hypertensive patients, the access to treatment and the achievement of control is accentuated in the middle and low income countries where 80% of the burden attributed to cardiovascular diseases occurs.

While high blood pressure is not curable, it can be prevented and treated to keep blood pressure figures below 140/90 mmHg. Adequate control is a cost-effective measure to avoid premature deaths.

If we manage to treat half of the population with uncontrolled hypertension, including those treated with suboptimal and untreated blood pressure values, 10 million deaths globally could be prevented in 10 years due to cardiovascular events, according to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

Consult your physician as it relates to hypertension and your numbers and lifestyle, for additional information you can call CPS 542-2078 or 542-3003 or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Super fast e-bikes face banishment from Dutch cycle lanes

SINT MAARTEN/THE NETHERLANDS – Bicycle lobby groups say they are extremely worried about the risk of accidents involving super-fast e-bikes or pedelecs when they are banned from using cycle lanes, the Telegraaf said on Tuesday.

From July, all 10,750 fast e-bikes capable of travelling at speeds of up to 45kph will have to have a yellow number plate, and that means they have the same status as a moped.

Owners will then no longer be allowed on bike lanes and will have to wear a specially-designed helmet. Those caught on bike paths will face a fine of up to €95. ‘The change will lead to extremely dangerous situations at high speed,’ a spokesman for the RAI Vereninging said.

Super bike user Martin de Vries told the paper: ‘I am not looking forward to it. Car drivers already think we get in the way, swear at us and cut us off.’ (DutchNews)

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Labour Inspection provides instructions at construction site of San Luis Beltran School

BONAIRE - At the request of the Central Government Real Estate Agency, the Labour Inspection has provided instructions to construction workers of the construction company APA Constructions. 

The construction workers are working on the renovation and new construction of the San Luis Beltran School. The instructions were related to occupational safety and health in the construction industry.

Inspector Darrel Frans used a PowerPoint presentation to show them what they should pay attention to.  Wearing a helmet and safety shoes was discussed.

However, it is at least as important that to take the proper safety measures and call each other to account when it comes to occupational safety and health.

The inspector noticed that everyone at the construction site was already wearing a helmet and safety shoes. That deserved a compliment.

In view of the enthusiastic reactions from the construction workers, the Labour Inspection will make the presentation which was used digitally available in four languages.

The presentation can be downloaded from the RCN website. The Labour Inspection can be reached directly via www.ArbeidsinspectieCN.com.

Companies can themselves instruct employees in the construction sector about occupational safety and health by means of the presentation.

Additionally, the Labour Inspection reports that all 500 advisory booklets which were printed in 2015 have been distributed. The good news is that the Labour Inspection has ordered a reprint of another 500 copies in four languages.

These advisory booklets on occupational safety and health are available via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. free of charge. (RCN Caribbean Netherlands)

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