It was an ordinary day. Sitting in my lounge chair mulling over Carol and my decision to stay at home once again and miss our vacation to the island of St. Martin/Sint Maarten. Our vacation to the island last April was halted due to the COVID virus, and we rescheduled it to begin today. Then I recently read that the French side of the island, where our vacation villa was located, was closed to travel from the Dutch side of the island where the airport is located. Too much hassle to go through, so I once again cancelled our vacation. Now, if you have been reading this blog, you have probably read this half a dozen times already. But, I should tell you that there was another reason for our change in plans to a later date to travel. Had we traveled today and somehow came in contact with someone with the virus, what could we expect while on vacation on an island in the Caribbean. Would we have to quarantine for two weeks and miss most of our days on the beach? If we became very ill and needed medical help, where would we go. I still remember a few years back when I developed a case of the Shingles on my leg while on a visit to Sint Maarten. My wife noticed it one day when I was heading to get in the water. Had a rash that started close at the top of my leg and went down to my knee on the rear of my left leg. For some strange reason, I had no pain, but did have liquid coming out of the rash. Finally decided to head to see a doctor, since at the time I had no idea what it was. We had no idea where there might have been a hospital, so we talked to a clerk in a pharmacy in Philipsburg, which is the capital of the Dutch side of the island. The clerk asked if she could call a clinic for us and we agreed. Within minutes we had walked to a nearby clinic and saw a doctor who had no idea what it was. Carol suggested it was Shingles, since she had them not long before and they looked the same. He pulled it up on the internet and pronounced my rash as Shingles. Well, this episode was rehashed recently after wondering what would happen if we would get the virus. Could we trust the island with our life? Are there hospitals equipped on the island to help those with the virus. We reasoned that there had to be first class medical help on an island with a population of 80,000 islanders as well as a few thousand visitors. I did a Google search and within a few minutes was engrossed in a really neat story telling about the beginnings of medical care on the Sint Maarten (Dutch side) of the island.
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| St. Rose Hospital taken in 1915 |
Seems that on November 9, 1908, Father B. Gijlswijk of the Roman Catholic Church opened the first hospital on the island known as the Sint Rose Hospital on Backstreet in the small town of Philipsburg. The hospital consisted of two small wooden houses which had one room for patients, an operating room and a doctor's office. The hospital was meant for use by the islands of Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba. It was to be a non-denominational hospital. It derived it's name from Sint Rose of Lima who was recognized by the Vatican as the first Saint of the New World to be canonized. This hospital was the only hospital on the island until 1929. It served the island well and even closed a few times when there were no patients.  |
Sint Rose Hospital on Front Street
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The population began to grow and before long, talk about a new hospital had been started. On January 16, 1935, the new Sint Rose Hospital opened at 35 Front Street. The number of beds rose to 50 and the hospital was divided into a men's and women's sections. There was also an X-ray room, a doctor's office and storage space. At this time I should point out that ten years later a Senior citizen's home was opened and was known as Sweet Repose. This building was expanded in April of 1963 and again two years later and at that time was renamed St. Martin's Home. The same year the White and Yellow Cross Foundation took over the responsibilities of both the hospital and the Senior's home.  |
The Sint Maarten Medical Center
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Then on March 17, 1991 the Sint Maarten Medical Center opened which functioned as a hospital as well as a home for the aged. On December 7, 2002 the original Sint Rose Hospital and the St. Martin's Home were demolished. On that site now stands a "Remembrance Plaza" to remember those who were born at the Sint Rose Hospital. Today, Sint Martin Medical Center has room for 69 inpatients and employs close to 330 personnel. They have 22 specialists as well as provide space for other private practice doctors. They also have a nursing school and still provide medical care to other Caribbean islands. But, are they prepared for an influx of travelers whom may need their care if stricken with COVID-19? That is the main reason Carol and I have chosen to wait another half-year, or maybe even longer, before traveling outside of the United States. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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