Update Country Report Curaçao 08 Feb 2022

What's happened?

Covid-19 cases are declining in Curaçao, as the island passed the peak of its Omicron wave in mid-January. However, pressure on its small healthcare system remains high, prompting the prime minister, Gilmar Pisas, to announce in late January that he would seek medical support from Cuba. Although no arrangement has yet been made, this may complicate Curaçao's ties with the Netherlands, which has already pledged to support the local healthcare system.

Why does it matter?

Despite the decline in the covid-19 caseload, sustained hospitalisations and deaths (which lag case numbers by two or three weeks) are putting pressure on Curaçao's small healthcare system. Since peaking in mid-January at more than 800, the seven-day average of new cases has fallen and is currently trending at about 100. However, admissions to the Curaçao Medical Centre (the island's main hospital) are still elevated. With many healthcare workers and other staff having to isolate, coronavirus-related healthcare resources have become stretched, and the healthcare system is now struggling to provide other kinds of treatment, including scheduled surgeries.

Mr Pisas announced that he was considering seeking assistance in the form of medical personnel from Cuba, which has long used its pool of skilled healthcare workers to support aid efforts and to expand its soft power internationally. However, it is not yet clear whether this is a confirmed arrangement. Moreover, the Netherlands has already committed to supporting Curaçao's healthcare system. As at February the Netherlands had paid for 45 additional healthcare workers for Curaçao, hired through a US employment agency. Although Mr Pisas's comments about aid from Cuba may represent an attempt to secure more (competing) Dutch healthcare support, there is a risk that the Netherlands perceives the move as an effort by the Pisas government to reduce its reliance on the Dutch-a talking point of Mr Pisas campaign for the March 2021 general election. This would complicate future bilateral ties and Dutch financing, which forms the bedrock of the government's spending measures.

What next?

At present, the Pisas government is maintaining mobility restrictions designed to prevent the spread of covid-19, which should ensure a continued decline in cases and hospitalisations. In turn, this will ease pressure on the healthcare system and prevent the need for additional bilateral support. However, in the event that the local covid-19 situation deteriorates, we would expect the Netherlands to augment its healthcare support to Curaçao in an effort to prevent the government from seeking assistance from Cuba.