Willemstad, February 11, 2026 – Curaçao is facing a diabetes emergency that is overwhelming healthcare and public finances. One in five adults on the island lives with diabetes. Severe complications are appearing at increasingly younger ages and on a global scale Curaçao has the second highest prevalence of end-stage renal disease dialysis costing approximately 100,000 XCG per patient per year. Healthcare leaders warn that without immediate effective national intervention, the diabetes burden will escalate beyond the capacity of Curaçao’s healthcare system.
In response to this urgent situation, national diabetes stakeholders convened this week at Curaçao Medical Center (CMC) to discuss the scale of the crisis, the gaps in care, and align on emergency measures focused on prevention, early intervention, and improved disease management.
The meeting brought together representatives from Curaçao Medical Center (CMC), the Ministry of Health, Environment and Nature (GMN), the Curaçaose Huisartsen Vereniging (CHV), the Social Insurance Bank (SVB), NASKHO and experts from “Diabeter”, a leading diabetes treatment center from the Netherlands.
The crisis is driven largely by Type 2 diabetes, a form that is often linked to lifestyle and can be delayed or prevented when detected and managed early. At the same time, Curaçao faces a highly vulnerable group of approximately 180 people with Type 1 diabetes, including children. Type 1 diabetes is not preventable and requires lifelong insulin therapy and continuous monitoring. Rapid advances in treatment, including insulin pumps and glucose sensors, have transformed care. Without access to these tools—especially sensors—healthcare professionals describe diabetes management as “driving with your eyes closed.”
Despite the strong commitment of healthcare professionals, the island remains significantly behind in delivering optimal care due to multiple systemic obstacles. Shortages of specialized personnel, insufficient reimbursement for general practitioners to treat diabetes, and long waiting times for essential services, such as eye care, are only a few examples which continue to fuel preventable blindness, amputations, and kidney failure. Potential solutions, including collaboration with a center of expertise, will be explored to address these challenges and improve the quality of care.
Stakeholders reached a clear consensus: diabetes must be treated as a national emergency. Coordinated action is required across public education, prevention, workforce capacity, technology, governance, and sustainable financing.
As part of the next steps, CMC proposed collaboration with an international center of expertise. During the meeting, Diabeter presented proven, technology-driven care models successfully implemented in the Netherlands, Iceland, and Spain and expressed interest in collaborating with Curaçao. Stakeholders also agreed to urgently update Curaçao’s national diabetes master plan and develop a concrete emergency blueprint with measurable targets and timelines.
“If we do not act now, today’s diabetes crisis will become tomorrow’s irreversible disaster. If we act together, we can still change the trajectory,” participants concluded.
The message is unequivocal: Curaçao has entered a diabetes emergency and delay is no longer an option.
