Suriname’s Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Labor has taken a significant step toward healthcare reform with the formal establishment of the Task Force for New Salary Scales for Healthcare Personnel. Minister André Misiekaba presided over the installation ceremony, which was attended by the ministry’s senior leadership team.
The newly formed working group will utilize two key documents—’Strategic Salary Structure for Civil Servants’ and ‘Compensation Structure for Civil Servants’—as foundational frameworks for developing a balanced and contemporary remuneration system for medical professionals. This initiative represents a crucial phase in the government’s comprehensive overhaul of compensation packages for healthcare workers.
Minister Misiekaba emphasized the dual importance of expediency and precision throughout the development process. The minister has established an ambitious timeline, expecting to receive a draft proposal within two months to ensure potential implementation by mid-2026 remains feasible.
The task force features representation from multiple stakeholders across Suriname’s healthcare landscape. Major labor unions have delegated four representatives: Lloyd Pool, Marcia Clumper, Reshma Ghogli, and Deborah Maynard. The National Hospital Council has appointed four additional members: Sewtahal Renuka (Civil Servants), Colin Lucenda (‘s Lands Hospital), Whitney Enny (PCS), and Meredith Fernanders (Diakonessen Hospital), who will serve as committee chairperson.
The Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Labor will maintain direct involvement through three delegates: Guillermo Hoepel, Wendy Eersel (Directorate of Health, Welfare, and Labor), and David Bakker (Bureau of Public Health Care). This collaborative approach ensures both institutional knowledge and frontline perspectives inform the final compensation framework.