In the 2025 State of the Nation Address, the President of Suriname dedicated nearly 20% of the speech to healthcare, outlining key priorities such as strengthening primary care through Regional Health Services (RGD) and emergency clinics, advancing digitalization, reforming the State Hospital Fund (SZF), the Bureau of Public Health (BOG), and the Suriname Medicines Bureau (BVGS), and enhancing nursing and medical capacity. Specific attention was given to pediatrics, mental health, inland healthcare, and financial reward systems. However, the Association of Economists in Suriname (VES) criticized the address for lacking coherence, arguing that the listed priorities remained disjointed without a unifying framework, mirroring the shortcomings of previous administrations. VES emphasized the need for an integrated approach in its periodic publication INZICHT. The VES advocates for a shift from the traditional model of primary care to integrated care units, where prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and aftercare are systematically linked by disease profile. This approach promises greater cohesion, measurable outcomes, and cost control. For instance, ‘s Lands Hospitaal could evolve into a specialized Mother and Child Center, consolidating perinatal care, pediatric care, and gynecology to enhance quality, outcomes, and resource efficiency. Similarly, the Psychiatric and Neurological Center Suriname could become a national hub for mental, neurological, and addiction care, reducing wait times and improving treatment results. The VES also proposed linking RGD posts and emergency clinics to specialized care pathways for conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, infections, cancer, lung disorders, eye conditions, and movement disorders, making prevention an integral part of the care process. This model would optimize personnel deployment, create jobs, and enable higher salaries. The SZF could transition to bundled payments, rewarding quality and outcomes rather than volume, while the BOG could become a national data and knowledge center, eliminating the need for a separate healthcare authority. Specialized centers in Paramaribo would serve as hubs for a broader network, with hospitals in Atjoni, Wanica, and Albina playing key roles. Telemedicine and digitalization would extend high-quality care to inland areas. Care pathways would address the shortage of nurses and specialists by leveraging foreign expertise and better coordination, creating thousands of jobs for nurses, lab technicians, dietitians, physiotherapists, medical-technical staff, and data analysts. This approach would increase patient capacity, improve care quality, and provide financial room for better staff compensation. While the State of the Nation Address presented fragmented priorities, the VES’s care pathway model offers a cohesive and sustainable alternative, capable of modernizing Suriname’s healthcare system and ensuring its affordability.
VES: Gezondheidszorg centraal in jaarrede; samenhang en uitvoeringskracht blijven onbenoemd
