Health in Suriname

The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Labour (Ministerie van Volksgezondheid, Welzijn & Arbeid, VW&A) oversees health facilities, professional quality, medicines and health personnel. The Directoraat Volksgezondheid supports public administration. The Bureau voor Openbare Gezondheidszorg (BOG) manages public-health programs, vaccination, disease surveillance, the central laboratory and epidemiological monitoring. Primary care is organized through different regional systems. RGD operates 56 poliklinieken, meaning outpatient clinics, in coastal areas, while MZ-PHC operates 58 first-line clinics and covers about 90% of Suriname's land area and approximately 55,000 people, particularly Indigenous and Tribal communities. Together, these services provided 114 state first-line poliklinieken in 2024. Catchment areas and local availability influence access. Remote river and forest regions face transport, staffing and referral barriers. Telehealth operates in five remote settings and has reached more than 54,000 people. There is no single nationwide care-navigation system or universal gatekeeper rule. A typical planned pathway begins with a huisarts or huisartspraktijk, meaning a general practitioner or general-practice clinic. The huisarts can assess the condition, arrange tests and contact a specialist when needed. A telephone discussion and referral from the huisarts to a specialist are recommended in relevant cases, but a blanket referral requirement for every specialist visit is not established. Hospitals provide more advanced treatment. Academisch Ziekenhuis Paramaribo (AZP) is the main tertiary and specialist center; other formal hospital pathways include 's Lands Hospitaal, Lachmipersad Mungra Streekziekenhuis Nickerie, also called Mungra Medisch Centrum (LMSZN/MMC), and regional or faith-based hospitals. Emergency care follows a separate process. A person needing urgent medical help can contact a Spoedeisende Hulp (SEH), the emergency department, or medical emergency services at 113. The arts van wacht, or on-call doctor, can be reached at 148. Police assistance is available at 115 and the fire service is at 110. Planned specialist and hospital care depends on clinical need, urgency, appointments and available capacity. Prevention starts with the Nationaal Immunisatieprogramma (NIP), which provides vaccinations from birth, childhood vaccinations and an HPV school program. BOG Medisch Centrum provides travel vaccinations. The BOG central laboratory supports diagnostic testing, epidemiological monitoring and HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, antimicrobial-resistance and quality-control programs. The measles, mumps and rubella vaccination rate was about 98% in 2023. The World Health Organization certified Suriname malaria-free on 30 June 2025, but surveillance continues because malaria could be reintroduced or become re-established. Stichting Lobi provides sexual and reproductive health services and screening outreach. Prevention is a stated health priority for 2026 and 2027. Non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes account for a large share of illness and death. PAHO reported that non-communicable diseases caused 78.6% of proportional mortality in 2019. The HEARTS approach supports hypertension and diabetes care in primary care, including diabetic foot screening. Maternal and child services include prenatal, delivery, postnatal and neonatal care, mother-and-child services through MZ and family planning. SIP and SIP Plus operate in five facilities. PAHO training in 2025 focused on neonatal, emergency and radiology care. The maternal mortality ratio was 96.5 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020, while qualified personnel attended 100% of births in 2021. Psychiatric and psychosocial care is led nationally by Psychiatrisch Centrum Suriname (PCS). PCS provides outpatient care, emergency psychiatry, child services, addiction and detoxification treatment, nursing care and follow-up. Cooperation with RGD and MZ supports decentralization. Since 5 June 2026, helpline 114 has operated nationwide around the clock, free of charge, confidentially and anonymously. It can arrange acute referral to PCS or emergency services. Treatment gaps and stigma remain practical barriers. Diagnostic tests may take place in a polikliniek, hospital laboratory or the BOG central laboratory. The Registratiecommissie (RC) registers packaged medicines under Surinamese law and assesses safety, effectiveness and quality. Medicine categories include UR, specialist-prescription, UA, UAD and freely supplied medicines. The registration procedure takes about 180 days; this is a market-authorization period, not a patient's waiting time. Bedrijf Geneesmiddelen Voorziening Suriname (BGVS) centrally procures, imports and distributes essential medicines. Stock shortages and regional differences in availability can interrupt treatment. Follow-up usually continues through a huisarts, RGD clinic, MZ clinic or hospital. Psychiatric aftercare can continue through PCS and partner services. Suriname has no single nationwide case-management or long-term-care structure documented in the available evidence, and nursing and social-care institutions remain fragmented. After treatment abroad, ARMULOV requires Geneeskundige Commissie approval when the needed treatment is unavailable locally. Administrative coordination with SZF may be required, and continued follow-up or therapy in Suriname remains part of the arrangement. A patient can first raise a complaint with the provider, the facility's complaints committee or its director. Further complaint channels include the Geneeskundig Inspecteur, the Director of VW&A, the Medisch Tuchtcollege and, where appropriate, civil or criminal proceedings. Medical treatment forms a contract between doctor and patient. A huisarts practice requires a licence under the Decreet Vergunningen Huisartspraktijk and related decisions. Formal complaints should use the responsible institutions rather than social media.