Please click HERE to listen to the Island Council Meeting of October 24th, 2012.

The Central Committee will have their meeting on Thursday June 21 at 09:00 am until 12:00 pm, which will take place at the Government Building in The Bottom, Power St. 1.

 The Agenda is as follows:

 Opening

1. Approval of the Agenda
2. Approval of the Minutes from the Central Committee meeting 2012-05-16
3. Opportunity for inhabitants of Saba to speak, with prior announcement
4. Island Council Proposal: The Island Ordinance Financial Management Saba
5. Island Council Proposal: New investment for the year 2012; new garbage truck
6. Island Council Proposal: Annual report and accounts 2011
7. Opportunity for the Executive Council members to verbally update the Central Committee
8. Question round

10.  Closing

 Respectfully,

 Registrar of the Central Committee                            Chairman Central Committee

 E. Boers                                                                      R.R.W. Wilson

 Note

It is possible for persons to peruse the documents pertaining to this meeting at the Government Office in the Bottom.

 Should persons in the community have questions please contact the Registrar, Mrs. Els Boers, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or at the Government Building.

Also any person who wants to speak in the Central Committee meeting has to contact Mrs. Els Boers before the day of the meeting. She will then also explain to you the rules of the meeting. Everybody else is welcome to come and listen.

We are now proud to announce that you may listen to the Island Council Meetings from the SabaGOV.NL website. If you look at the top right of this page you will see the "Council Meetings" button. This will take you to the list. Simply click on the meeting you would like to listen to and it will open.

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Commissioner of Health, Bruce Zagers issued a report on behalf of the delegation that visited Colombia and Guadeloupe from December 12th until December 17th. The delegation from Saba consisted of Commissioner of Health Bruce Zagers, Director of the Saba Health Care Foundation Dr. Joka Blaauboer and Island Council Member/Chairman of the Central Committee, Rolando Wilson. Accompanying them were delegations from Saba, Statia, Bonaire, St. Maarten, the cabinet of the Kingdom Representative, VWS and Coomeva all took part week long fact finding during which the individual facilities were visited.
The report gives a “comprehensive and collective” analysis of the visits to the medical facilities in both countries and the quality of services provided by the healthcare service providers.

Colombia

The report gives some insight into the three hospitals that patients are referred to in Colombia, each of them impressive in their own right. The hospitals boast ultra modern equipment, a range of services that include specialties in oncology and organ transplants. One of them, Clinica Cardiovascular, is a pioneer and leader in heart and lung transplants. The wards in the hospitals are described as being clean, well equipped and could be considered luxurious in comparison to wards in other hospitals
An organization, Coomeva, is charged with the care of patients and their companions for their duration of their stay are portrayed as flexible and accommodating. They provide an English speaking chaperone that gives guidance and in depth explanations.
The language barrier is described as being an obstacle only outside the facilities as many persons speak English to some extent.

Guadeloupe

In comparison to Guadeloupe, the facilities there can be considered to be of a similar standard. Patients are referred to largest hospital there, which has over 700 beds and over 300 doctors. The report suggest that the exterior of the building may give the impression of a “run down” facility but the hospital boasts state of the art equipment and can offer services which cannot be offered in St. Maarten.
The caretakers in Guadeloupe are former Saban residents, who accommodate patients in a quaint apartment complex located in a secure area. The couple arranges transportation, accommodation and guidance in and around the hospital. They speak both English and French, and try to arrange for patients to meet with doctors that have a command of English.
The report concludes by saying that “It is the opinion of the Saba delegation that both Columbia and Guadeloupe provide good health care for the Saban patients. Both locations offer facilities that have state of the art equipment, well trained staff and services that will be beneficial to both the patient and
the companions. The quality of the medical treatment and care in Columbia and in Guadeloupe are at a very high standard”.
To view the full report visit www.sabanews.nl.

In picture from L-r: Island Councilman Rolando Wilson, Director, Saba Healthcare Foundation, Dr. Joka Blauuboer and Commissioner Bruce Zagers