WILLEMSTAD - The Medical Disciplinary Board of Curaçao has issued a formal warning to surgeon Dr. Michel Berry for failing to inform a patient in time about the results of a CT scan that revealed serious kidney damage. The case involves a woman, identified as M.M., who underwent surgery by Berry in 2017 for rectal cancer.
According to the board’s October 3 ruling, Berry neglected to discuss the results of a March 2018 CT scan with the patient. The scan showed a blocked ureter and early signs of kidney damage, but M. was not referred to a urologist until months later. By that time, her condition had worsened, and her left kidney had to be removed.
The disciplinary board described the incident as a “delay in diagnosis and treatment” that was traumatic for the patient. While it found no evidence that Berry had deliberately withheld information, the board concluded that he “failed in his duty of care” by not acting upon the scan results.
Other allegations by the patient — including claims that Berry had left a surgical clip inside her body — were dismissed as unfounded.
Berry reportedly expressed remorse and acknowledged his mistake during the hearing. Given his attitude and personal circumstances, the board decided that a warning — the lightest possible disciplinary measure — was appropriate.
Second Disciplinary Case in One Year
This is not the first time Dr. Berry has faced disciplinary action. In February 2025, the Joint Court of Justice suspended him for eight months in a separate case dating back to 2009.
In that earlier ruling, the court found that Berry had failed to take a patient’s post-surgical complications seriously following a gallbladder operation, leading to prolonged health problems. The court criticized his conduct as “unprofessional, insufficiently careful, and lacking compassion.”
With this new warning, Berry has now been sanctioned twice within the same year for shortcomings in post-operative care — raising renewed questions about accountability and patient safety in Curaçao’s medical sector.
