PARAMARIBO – With a donation of $15,000 worth of medical supplies on Tuesday, the U.S. has continued its efforts to support Suriname as it battles the global COVID-19 pandemic.
On Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador to Suriname Karen Lynn Williams presented the boxes of PPE and other supplies to the Surinamese Minister of Health Amar Ramadhin during a visit to ‘s Lands Hospital. This latest batch of supplies was provided by U.S. Southern Command, the military command based in Florida that has a long and close working relationship with the Surinamese military.
“Addressing the COVID-19 pandemic is the top priority for the U.S. Embassy,” said Lt. Commander Ida Quigley, the chief of the Military Liaison Office at the U.S. Embassy in Paramaribo, whose office coordinated the donation. “Helping address this pandemic is a way for both our nations and the region to stay safe and stable.”
This is just the latest effort the U.S. has undertaken in recent months to help support Suriname during this pandemic.
In June 2020, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) contributed $185,000 to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and $36,100 to UNICEF to assist them with their risk communication, infection prevention and control, and case management and IPC WASH programs to fight COVID-19 in Suriname.
As school started to open in October 2020, the U.S. Embassy donated $50,000 in personal protective equipment (PPE) to the Ministry of Education to help facilitate the safe opening of the nation’s schools.
Then, in January 2021, during a visit to Suriname by Admiral Craig S. Faller, commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), he handed over the first boxes of more than $650,000 in supplies and humanitarian assistance provided by SOUTHCOM. Those initial supplies, through SOUTHCOM’s Humanitarian Assistance Program, arrived in Suriname in three waves in January, February and May and included ventilators, defibrillators, and other consumables, equipment and supplies that are compatible with what Surinamese hospitals are using. Tuesday’s donation is an additional $15,000 worth of PPE and equipment.
