On September 18, 2021, the Minister of Tourism and Public Health, Mr. Dangui Oduber, registered the two first medical professionals recognized by AruBIG.
On October 18, 2021, the Minister registered another medical professional into the AruBIG registration and Dr. Geraldine Croes, a family physician. According to the Minister, this is a historic moment for medical care in Aruba since he completed the AruBIG registration in just three years. AruBIG was in the making for decades. Now, Aruba can finally enact the country decrees that regulate the accreditation institutions and the educational criteria that recognize regional organizations for medical education. Now local medical professionals that complete their medical education at one of the accredited medical universities in the region can be contracted by the AZV and provide medical care in Aruba.
Doctor Croes graduated at the Universidad el Bosque in Colombia. This is one of the two universities recognized by the AruBIG. The AruBIG uses the accreditation organ of Colombia, the CNA which is the organization to which Universities are affiliated. Doctor Croes will initiate her practice on Thursday in Sani Nicolas and take over the patients of Doctor Veringa. According to research, by 2030, there will be a shortage of doctors and nurses around the world. This shortage of medical personnel also applies to the Netherlands, and without our registry, we will remain dependent on the BIG registration of the Netherlands to obtain medical professionals. That is why AruBIG is highly needed to help fill in the vacancies in the local medical care system. AruBIG helps find more medical specialists, which in turn will lower waiting times for patients. AruBIG changes the entire panorama for those wanting to go to medical school in the region, as long as they get their medical degree from one of the universities accredited by AruBIG. Students can now pursue medical education in Canada, the United States, Costa Rica, and Colombia.
Currently, the following medical professionals can register in AruBIG;
- Pharmacists;
- doctors;
- dentists;
- midwives;
- physiotherapists.
Starting in 2022:
- Nurses;
- physiologists;
- psychiatrists.
Diplomas recognized by AruBIG:
- For all medical professions, a registration number of the Dutch BIG registration (Nederlandse BIG-nummer) and registration in a recognized association in the Netherlands as a specialist (RGS for doctors). BIG registration.
- for doctors, alternatively documents that prove the successful completion of the Board Exam of the USA (ECFMG) or Canada (Medical Council of Canada), irrespective to where you graduated;
- for doctors, alternatively a diploma of one of the universities accredited by the Accreditation organ SINAES to which the following recognized universities are affiliated: Universidad de Costa Rica, Universidad Latina de Costa Rica or Universidad de ciencias medicas (UCIMED);
- for doctors, alternatively a diploma of one of the universities accredited by the accreditation organ CNA in Colombia, Universidad El Bosque or Pontificia Universidad Javeriana;
- for dentists, alternatively a diploma of one of the following universities in Costa Rica:
- Universidad de Costa Rica or Universidad Latina de Costa Rica;
- for dentists, alternatively a diploma of one of the following universities in Colombia:
- Universidad El Bosque or Pontificia Universidad Javeriana.
For local medical education, as long as the universities are recognized by the Department of Education and or appointed by the Quality Institution recognized by the AruBIG.
Another specialization recognized by the AruBIG is the specialist degree “Doctor labor and health in Aruba” given at the NSPOH in the Netherlands.
The Minister is very excited for this historic achievement and grateful to the AZV for believing in the AruBIG project and certainly wishes Dr. Croes all the best with the new challenge as a family physician.
