Compliments And Complaints

Satisfied with our care?

If you are satisfied with your care, we encourage you to submit a compliment. Your feedback helps us provide optimal, patient-centered care. You can submit your compliment using our online compliment form.

Not satisfied?

We aim to always provide high-quality, exceptional care. However, sometimes a visit to our hospital may not go as expected or desired. In that case, please let us know. By sharing your experiences with us, you offer us opportunities to improve our care and services so that we can better serve you and others in the future. Help us improve healthcare together!

The easiest way to provide feedback is to discuss your complaint with the responsible employee. This could be for example your doctor, a nurse or a member of our supportive staff. You can also always request a conversation with the supervisor and/or manager of the department. By having a conversation, it is often possible to look for an immediate solution.
Can’t find a solution together? Or do you find it difficult to have this conversation in person? Then please contact our Complaint Officer by filling out our online complaint form.
Would you prefer to fill out the complaint form on paper? You can fill out a paper Complaint form available at the Service Desk, on all of the wards, and next to the yellow drop boxes for complaints throughout the hospital.
You can also submit a complaint by sending an email to complaints@smmc.sx, or by sending a letter to the Complaint Officer. When sending a letter or e-mail, please include your name, date of birth, address, e-mail address and telephone number. You can send your letter to:

Attn. Complaint Officer

SMGH

Welgelegen Road 30, Cay Hill

St. Maarten

Who can submit a complaint?

Any patient or visitor of SMGH can submit a complaint. Legal representatives and direct relatives of patients can also submit complaints. Other parties can only file a complaint with the patient's permission. We do not handle anonymous complaints.

What can you submit a complaint about?

You can submit a complaint about any matter at SMGH that you are dissatisfied with. Examples include medical treatment, patient care, information provision, or the organization of care.

The Complaint Officer

It's possible to speak to the Complaint Officer, even without wanting to take action. The Complaint Officer will explore what can be done about the complaint. The Complaint Officer informs, advises, and mediates between the complainant and the responsible staff member. The Complaint Officer is an employee of the hospital but holds an independent, neutral, and impartial position. All complaints submitted are registered. The Complaint Officer reports monthly to the Board of Directors and annually to the Inspectorate of Public Health.

What happens after you have submitted a complaint?

You will be contacted by the Complaint Officer as soon as possible, but in any case, within five business days, to discuss the handling of your complaint.
The Complaint Officer will inform and advise you about the handling of your complaint and if desired, mediate between you and the person or department involved in your complaint.
If the complaint handling has not achieved the desired result or you want an opinion on your complaint, you can submit your complaint in writing, addressed to the Board of Directors, and express that you would like a decision taken by the Board of Directors.

Claims

There is always the risk that a complication with a medical examination or medical treatment may occur. For example, after an operation, infection or bleeding may occur. These risks cannot always be avoided, however, we provide information about complications that are known to occur more frequently during your examination or treatment in advance. If a complication occurs, it does not automatically mean that the specialist or other healthcare professionals have done something wrong.

If you believe that you have suffered injury and damages as a result of negligence or careless medical treatment, then this may be a reason for you to hold SMGH liable.

If you would like to submit a claim because of suffered damage(s) as a result of your visit to the hospital, you can submit a complaint and indicate what happened and what your damage(s) consist(s) of. The Legal department will conduct an internal investigation and, depending on the nature of the claim, can forward (part of) the claim to SMGH’s medical liability insurer.

Loss or damage to your property

SMGH is not liable for loss or damage to your personal belongings. Therefore, we advise you to leave valuables such as jewelry, watches, and other items of (sentimental) value at home. It is also not advised to bring laptops and tablets to the hospital. Patients of the In-patient Wards can ask about the possibility of placing their valuables in safekeeping.

If you have lost something, please report this to the relevant department as soon as possible. It may still be found.

If you believe that you have suffered loss or damage through the fault or negligence of (an employee of) the hospital (for example to nightwear, glasses or dentures), you can submit a request to the hospital for compensation. This does not automatically mean that the hospital is liable. This will be investigated by the Legal Department of the hospital. You can submit a request for compensation by filling out an online Material Damage Claim Form. You can also fill out a paper form available on the wards.

Incidents and Calamities

At SMGH, we prioritize quality and safety of care. Patients can trust that every effort will be made to ensure their safety during their visit or stay. Sometimes, however, there are instances when things don’t go as planned which may lead to an incident or a serious event. If an issue arises during treatment, we will always inform you and your loved ones right away. These situations, though unfortunate, provide us with valuable opportunities to learn and enhance our care and safety practices.

Here at our hospital, we differentiate between an incident and a calamity but both are classified as unexpected events.

An incident, also known as a patient safety event, typically has minimal or no consequences for the patient. It refers to an unintended occurrence in the care process that may have resulted, could have resulted, or could potentially result in harm to the patient. A calamity, or sentinel event, involves a serious consequence, often with significant harm to the patient.

In the case of an incident or near incident, we report it to the Hospital Safety/Faults or Near Accidents (FONA) Committee. This committee investigates the event and provides recommendations to improve our care processes.

A calamity refers to an unexpected or unintended event that significantly impacts the quality of care, resulting in a patient’s death or serious harm. If a calamity occurs, it is reported to the Board of Directors. The Retrospectus Committee conducts a thorough investigation and the Board then reports the incident to the Inspectorate of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Affairs, and Labor (VSA).

Retrospectus Committee

The Retrospectus Committee consists of SMGH professionals trained for researching incidents and calamities. The investigation involves healthcare professionals, the patient, and/or their family. The goal is to determine what happened, how it happened, and how to prevent similar future events. The committee advises on preventative measures. The report is discussed with the patient and/or their family, and the Board of Directors sends the final report to the Inspectorate of VSA for review.

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