The construction of Hospital Nobo Otrobanda (HNO), the new hospital in Curacao, may continue. That is what the court decided on Friday 19 June, after the construction was delayed due to the lawsuit filed by three organisations that were against the demolition of the some of the current buildings on site. Frank Kunneman and Tom Peeters of VANEPS advised SONA (the Netherlands Antilles Development Foundation) in the complex procedure.
The court decided that the importance of maintaining the buildings does not outweigh the importance of the Curaçao population to have, as soon as possible, a modern hospital that meets their medical needs. “Curaçao deserves a new hospital. It is not realistic to continue to provide quality care to patients in a building that is 160 years old. Both the patient and the staff are entitled to receive and offer care in a modern environment that makes that possible. We have to unite, so that this can be achieved,” said the government.