Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
Sometimes revelations raise more questions than they answer. A case in point was the announcement by Member of Parliament (MP) Franklin Meyers in Tuesday's edition that an investigation is underway at Social and Health Insurances SZV into the alleged selling of medical coverage cards.
The UP deputy fraction leader sought clarity on the reports during a parliamentary committee meeting with SZV and St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC). He said SZV was "not in a position to share details," but as it regarded a closed-door session whatever information provided there would have been confidential anyway.
In today's paper the government institution itself says the matter is being taken very seriously, but offers no further explanation. While it's understandable that nothing must be done to compromise the ongoing probe, it would be relevant for the people at least to know whether the suspected employee has been placed on non-active duty.
One also has to wonder how an individual even could pull off this kind of corruptive scheme without the help of others. After all, it's hard to believe the entire process of checking whether would-be recipients meet the requirements, issuing cards and the control on such were handled by a single person.
Although these latest developments are obviously not welcome especially at a time when integrity within the public sector is a hot topic, the fact that the apparent irregularities were detected does give HOPE for the future. Not only the fraudulent actions, but also internal structures and procedures that may have facilitated the possible crime should be reviewed thoroughly and tackled where necessary.
Given management's track record, there's no reason to doubt that's exactly what will be done to prevent any repeat and further repercussions for SZV as well as its clients.
