Suriname to receive 700 thousand Covid-19 vaccines from the Netherlands

Suriname will receive 700 thousand Covid-19 vaccines in the future, the Volkskrant announced on Sunday.

Suriname requested vaccines from the government in The Hague already multiple weeks ago to help the South American country in the fight against the coronavirus. The Surinamese Minister of Health, Amar Ramadhin, said the Dutch government did not react to their request for two weeks.

Last week, Ramadhin’s appeal was reviewed in the Tweede Kamer. Dutch Minister of Health, Hugo de Jonge, said at the time that he would enter into talks with Suriname about the possibility of assistance in the form of Covid-19 vaccines.

The president of Suriname, Chan Santokhi said in a speech on Thursday that the Netherlands would send enough doses to vaccinate “the total population” of approximately 650 thousand people.The Dutch government has not yet confirmed the concrete amount.

The Surinamese ambassador, Rajendre Khargi, will discuss with Dutch officials next week how many doses exactly the South American country will receive. It is likely Suriname will receive 700 thousand doses, although it is not yet clear from which company those vaccines will come.

There is also a good chance the Netherlands will also provide Suriname with logistical support, such as refrigerators for storing the vaccines.

Suriname has been struggling with a shortage of medical personnel during the pandemic. Due to a shortage of nurses, three Surinamese hospitals had to close their ICUs for newborns. This particularly put the lives of sick and premature babies at risk.