SMMC nurse with patient (photo from SMMC 2025 Annual Report)
CAY HILL--St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) had a busy year in 2025. The institution recorded a twelve per cent increase in hospital days during 2025, while patient admissions remained stable compared with the previous year.
According to the hospital’s 2025 Annual Report, total hospital days increased to 18,989 from 16,949 in 2024, while clinical admissions totalled 4,342, virtually unchanged from the 4,336 admissions recorded the previous year.
The report said General Surgery accounted for the largest share of the increase in hospital days, recording 4,535 hospital days during the year.
In total, the hospital performed 3,340 surgeries, recorded 288 births, provided 600 daycare treatments, completed 67,619 outpatient consultations, handled 10,998 emergency room visits, carried out 36,106 radiology procedures, performed 18,187 diagnostic procedures, delivered 13,134 dialysis treatments and administered 520 chemotherapy treatments.
Intensive Care Unit (ICU) hospital days increased to 626 in 2025 from 508 in 2024. Of those ICU days, 208 were attributed to General Surgery patients, 115 to Internal Medicine and 113 to Cardiology.
The average length of stay increased to 4.4 days from 3.9 days in 2024. Quarterly averages were 4.5 days in the first quarter, 4.6 in the second, 4.3 in the third and 4.2 in the fourth.
The report attributed variations in the average length of stay to differences among medical specialities.
Neurology recorded the highest average length of stay at 9.6 days, followed by Internal Medicine at 7.1 days and Oncology at 6.4 days. Pulmonology averaged 5.7 days, Cardiology 4.9 days and General Surgery 5.3 days.
Among surgical specialities, Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) recorded an average stay of one day, Orthopaedics 2.2 days, Urology 2.5 days, Gynaecology 2.8 days and Paediatrics three days.
