AFD and the Hospital Center of Western Guiana have just signed a partnership agreement that signals a new step forward in the reinforcement of healthcare cooperation between French Guiana and Suriname. This agreement comes right after the inauguration of two new hospitals on each side of the border.
Three hours to get there, and three hours to come back. Until now, this was the trip that dialysis patients living in Saint-Laurent du Maroni were required to make several times a week to the west border of French Guiana, where they received treatment at the Cayenne Hospital, the only one in the area equipped to treat them.
From January 28, 2019, they won’t have to travel such a long way anymore. The Hospital Center of Western Guiana (HCWG) at Saint-Laurent du Maroni has just moved into a brand-new, 28,000 sqm building. Patients living on the Suriname side of the border, at Albina or Moengo for instance, will also benefit from these services. Before, they were obliged to travel three or four hours to reach the hospital at Paramaribo, the country’s capital.
In parallel, another hospital has opened in Suriname. It should be fully operational during 2019 for local consultations, as well as for minor emergencies and uncomplicated deliveries.
Construction of the two hospitals was partly funded by AFD through a 47.5-million-euro loan to the HCWG and another 15-million-euro loan to the government of Suriname. Their opening is in parallel to cooperation efforts undertaken since 2010 between Guyana and Suriname to improve healthcare in the cross-border area. AFD has continued to support this endeavor by signing a new funding agreement with the HCWG in December 10, 2018. This agreement entails a 100,000-euro subvention over three years.
Original source: AFD
Published on 22 January 2019
