A landmark new chapter for specialized maternal and pediatric healthcare in Suriname formally kicked off on a recent Monday, as officials marked the official commencement of construction and renovation works at the Academisch Ziekenhuis Paramaribo (AZP), the country’s leading academic hospital. This initiative forms part of the broader GranMorgu Health Care Project, a joint $13 million investment from TotalEnergies EP Suriname and APA Suriname Corporation earmarked for critical upgrades at both AZP and ’s Lands Hospitaal, with phased completion scheduled through 2028.
The official groundbreaking ceremony was attended by senior representatives from the Surinamese national government, AZP leadership, and executives from the two partnering energy firms. Unlike standard infrastructure overhauls, the program extends far beyond physical building renovations: it encompasses full modernization of care facilities for mothers, newborns, and pediatric patients, alongside procurement of state-of-the-art medical equipment, redesigned clinical spaces, and targeted improvements to working conditions for frontline healthcare staff.
One of the flagship components of the upgrade is the full expansion and renovation of the Academic Pediatric Center Suriname (APCS), AZP’s dedicated children’s care hub. The redesigned facility will introduce a purpose-built pediatric emergency department with a separate, dedicated entrance, ensuring children requiring urgent medical attention can receive care in a child-friendly, low-stress environment completely segregated from general emergency patient flows. Teams will also carry out full modernization of the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), two life-saving departments that deliver critical intervention for severely ill premature infants and children requiring round-the-clock intensive medical support, in addition to full refurbishment of all maternity wards.
Careful, patient-centric design has been prioritized across all new pediatric spaces, with explicit accommodations for family presence during a child’s hospital stay. According to Dr. A. Juliana, medical head of APCS, one of the project’s most distinctive features is the installation of a fold-out parent bed adjacent to every pediatric inpatient bed, allowing caregivers to remain with their children throughout their entire hospital admission. This design choice is intended to foster a more child-centered care ecosystem that prioritizes not just clinical treatment, but also the overall well-being and emotional support of young patients. Dr. Juliana noted that the launch of the works marks the long-awaited realization of a decades-long ambition held by Suriname’s pediatric care community.
The investment extends far beyond the walls of Paramaribo’s hospital campuses. In parallel with the facility upgrades, AZP will significantly expand its existing Pediatric Outreach Program to make specialized pediatric care accessible to remote communities outside the capital, including the settlements of Apoera, Kwamalasamutu, Brownsweg, and Moengo. The expanded program will deploy regular mobile medical visits, run telehealth virtual consultation platforms, deliver targeted skills training for local community health workers, and establish formal collaborative care pathways to bring specialized pediatric expertise directly to patients in outlying regions. This model is designed to eliminate the need for families across Suriname to travel hundreds of kilometers to Paramaribo for even routine specialized pediatric consultations or follow-up care.
During the launch ceremony, Suriname’s President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons publicly praised doctors, nurses, and all frontline healthcare staff who deliver care under high operational pressure, emphasizing that their consistent dedication is the foundation of high-quality national healthcare. She urged care teams to continue driving iterative improvements to service standards, noting that coordinated cross-sector collaboration and phased, targeted investments will deliver tangible, lasting improvements for both patients and care providers. Minister of Health, Welfare and Labour André Misiekaba echoed these remarks, stating that the modernized facilities will create a care environment where children receive not only clinically excellent treatment, but also feel safe and supported during their hospital stays.
Artur Nunes da Silva, General Director of TotalEnergies EP Suriname, explained that the project’s core mission is to strengthen national healthcare infrastructure, expand equitable access to specialized care services, and support the development of local clinical expertise. He added that the upgraded facilities will deliver a far more modern, comfortable experience for patients and their families, while equipping doctors, nurses, and all hospital staff with world-class working resources to deliver care. Claudia Marica-Redan, General Director of AZP, framed the groundbreaking as a transformative milestone on the path to a modern, equitable national pediatric healthcare system for Suriname, noting that every child in the country has an inherent right to high-quality medical care, and families deserve full confidence that their children are receiving the best possible support. Wayne Martoredjo, Deputy Country Manager of APA Suriname Corporation, emphasized that the investment delivers benefits far beyond physical hospital upgrades, as the combination of central facility modernization and community outreach programming ensures families across the entire country, not just those in Paramaribo, can access high-quality specialized care.
The project followed a lengthy, detailed preparatory planning phase to minimize disruption to ongoing clinical services, as all construction works will be carried out while AZP remains fully operational to deliver uninterrupted care to existing patients. Construction works are scheduled to run from October 2026 through May 2028, with Zhen Jiang No. 2 Construction Engineering Co., Ltd. serving as the primary contractor, and IBT Engineering alongside Blik Bruining & Partners overseeing all architectural supervision and quality control. All components of the project will be rolled out in sequential, low-disruption phases, with the delivery and installation of new medical equipment also scheduled to take place incrementally. The official launch event concluded with a public unveiling of the commemorative project billboard and a formal stone-laying ceremony to mark the start of construction. Across all its components, the $13 million GranMorgu Health Care Project is designed to both drastically improve life-saving care for severely ill children and newborns in Paramaribo, and close long-standing equity gaps in access to specialized maternal and pediatric care for communities across all of Suriname.
Bouw kinderziekenhuis AZP van start binnen zorgproject van USD 13 miljoen
