Medical referrals to St. Maarten from Saba, Statia increase slightly in 2025

GREAT BAY--St. Maarten continues to be the primary referral destination for insured patients from Saba and St. Eustatius, according to newly published 2020 to 2025 figures on medical overseas referrals by Zorg en Jeugd Caribisch Nederland (ZJCN). The update shows a slight increase in total medical referrals in 2025 compared with 2024, with the overall annual volume remaining close to 7,000 referrals.

ZJCN reports that medical overseas referrals occur when specialist care or diagnostics are not available on Bonaire, St. Eustatius, or Saba, and patients must be referred to contracted regional partners. ZJCN states it currently has contracts with providers in St. Maarten, Curaçao, Aruba, Colombia, and the Netherlands.

ZJCN’s overview shows a steady rise from 2020 through 2023, followed by two relatively stable years just under 7,000 referrals. The reported total climbed from 6,787 in 2024 to 6,971 in 2025, while 2023 was the peak year at 7,088 referrals.

The data show that most insured patients from Saba and St. Eustatius are referred to care in St. Maarten. In 2025, referrals from Saba to St. Maarten totaled 2,219, and referrals from St. Eustatius to St. Maarten totaled 2,262.

By contrast, patients from Bonaire were most often referred to Curaçao and Aruba. In 2025, Bonaire’s referrals were reported as 978 to Aruba and 785 to Curaçao, with smaller numbers to Colombia and the Netherlands, and 1 referral to St. Maarten.

Across 2020 to 2025, ZJCN reports that nearly half of all referred patients were between 40 and 65 years old. Women were referred slightly more often than men each year, with women accounting for between 51% and 57% of referred patients depending on the year.

ZJCN reports that radiology accounts for the largest share of referrals, with 1,537 referrals in 2025. Other leading categories in 2025 included surgery (621) and ophthalmology (552). The table also shows nephrology referrals declining to 361 in 2025 compared with 731 in 2024.

ZJCN states it will continue monitoring and publishing medical referral figures on a monthly basis through its facts and figures reporting, and that the insights are used to support policy development and collaboration with care providers locally and across the region.

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