The Ministry of Defence and the Stichting Staatsziekenfonds (SZF) have reached agreement on a new health insurance contract for defence personnel and their eligible dependants. The agreement is intended to safeguard the continuity of medical care for active military personnel, pensioners, widows, widowers and other eligible dependants.
The agreement was reached on Friday, October 16, 2026, following intensive negotiations between both parties. As part of the agreement, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed, laying the foundation for the further development and formalisation of the new contract.
Minister of Defence Uraiqit Hanafi Ramsaran, who was personally involved in the negotiations, stresses that the health and well-being of defence employees and their families are an important priority for the ministry.
“Our personnel form the backbone of the defence organisation. The men and women who dedicate themselves daily to the security and protection of our country must be able to rely on their medical provisions remaining guaranteed,” Ramsaran said.
Pensioners and surviving relatives also covered by agreement
According to the minister, the interests of both active-duty military personnel and pensioners and surviving relatives were explicitly taken into account during the negotiations. The new agreement is intended to prevent these groups from experiencing uncertainty about their access to medical services.
“Throughout the entire process, we have consistently placed the interests of our personnel and their eligible dependants first. Through proper consultation and thanks to the constructive cooperation with the Staatsziekenfonds, we have succeeded in jointly arriving at an appropriate solution,” the minister stated.
Further elaboration still required
Although both parties have reached agreement, the new contract still needs to be further formalised. The signed declaration of intent provides the basis for this.
No further details have yet been announced regarding the financial arrangements, possible changes to the insurance package and the effective date of the new agreement.
Ramsaran expressed his appreciation for the management and negotiating team of the SZF, as well as the technical teams of both organisations involved in the discussions.
The Ministry of Defence assures the defence community that the interests of all eligible dependants were central during the negotiations. According to the ministry, the agreement reached should help remove uncertainties concerning health insurance and safeguard medical care for defence personnel and their surviving relatives.
