Suriname is preparing to come out stronger from COVID-19. As the pandemic highlights the gaps in the country’s health system, the Government is acting quickly to drive its response, engaging partners, reaching remote communities through primary health care and building a strong foundation for universal health coverage.
About 90% of Suriname’s landmass is characterized as tropical rainforest. In the most remote villages reside indigenous communities who need access to effective primary health care.
This is just one of the many challenges that Suriname’s health system faces. COVID-19 has further highlighted its small health workforce: just eight physicians and 23 nurses per 10,000 people, health infrastructure that is still being developed