Page 5 - HOH

28 LOCAL NEWS AWEMainta
Hard work from the team behind the scenes is paying off
HOH with update regarding the
situation at our Gynecology clinic
AFTER a few months of hard work from the team at HOH,
the Board of Directors is glad to inform the community
of the latest positive developments about staffing at the
Gynecology clinic. Before that, we would like to thank you
once again for your patience, and above all we would like to
thank the team of our gynecology clinic for their dedication
and efforts to do their utmost best in difficult times.
A few months ago, the Horacio Oduber Hospital (HOH)
emitted information regarding longer waiting times and the
change of doctors at our Gynecology clinic. We informed
the public about the current situation with the request for
comprehension and patience from our patients, the public
and employees.
Reason behind this was the current high pressure on the
number of gynecologists. Some decided due to personal
reasons to change their career. At the same time, we had
manpower discussions with AZV about the number of gyne-
cologists, which made the situation challenging. We were
reduced from 7 to 5 gynecologists. We are happy we recently
agreed with AZV to have 6 gynecologists contracted at the
hospital, and maybe in the near future go back to 7 gyne-
cologists.
Vacancy and substitution
As is known for some time now, there is a worldwide shortage
of medical staff and specialists. Our recruitment depart-
ment has been working very hard finding replacements that
meets our qualifications. We are happy to inform that in the
month of November, the team at our gynecology clinic will
be welcoming Dr. Femke Siemonsma and in January of 2024
we say bon bini to Dr. Sofie Hamers and Dr. Dominque Bos.
Diamars, 10 October 2023
Also Dr. Sietske Althuisius, who just left for retirement, will
come back to strengthen the team for an additional year.
In the meantime, Dr. Daphne Moreta (president of the group)
together with Dr. Alejandro Garcia ensure the continuity of
the group. In addition, Dr. Babet Latour will be giving care
until the end of November, before taking on a new challenge
in The Netherlands. The open vacancies are continuously
filled to 6 FTE temporarily with substitute specialists: Dr.
Marcela Realpe, Dr. Frank Ho-Kang-You, Dr. Gunilla Kleiverda
and Dr. Soerin Mahadew.
Appreciation
We are doing our utmost to guarantee care for our patients
and to bring balance back to our gynecology group. Not only
to fulfill the vision of our organization: ‘accessible healthcare
for everyone without compromising on quality’, but also to
provide a pleasant place to work for our employees.
The coming months, we will work to reduce waiting times for
an appointment to an acceptable number of days. A certain
waiting time will always be there and compared to other
countries, waiting times in Aruba are in general quite accept-
able. However, we understand of course that when you are
ill, or having problems, you want to be seen as quickly as
possible. Important to mention is that emergencies always
are and have been attended to immediately.
Once again, the Board of Directors is grateful and want to
express their gratitude to all employees and patients for
their patience and ask kindly to continue to have mutual
respect for the current circumstances.