PAHO/WHO Representative Dr. Karen Lewis-Bell, Dr Djamiel Koesni BOG Acting Manager National Immunization Program, and Deputy Chief of Mission, Priyadarshi Sen
Suriname, September 23, 2022 (PAHO) – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) office in Suriname, in collaboration with the United States Government (USG), procured cold chain equipment for the National Immunization Program at the Bureau of Public Health (BOG) in Suriname.
The equipment, consisting of 5 vaccine cold boxes and 124 water ice packs will be used to support the strengthening of the National Immunization Program and the maintenance of the cold chain during transportation of vaccines to the rural and interior areas of Suriname. Three cold boxes will be dispatched to the Medical Mission, a government-subsidized NGO that has the mandate for the provision of primary health care to the indigenous and tribal populations living in the interior (Amazon rainforest); one cold box will be dispatched to the Mungra Medical Center in Nickerie, which provides primary health care to the indigenous and tribal villages in the upper western Suriname and one will remain at the central level.
The equipment was procured with grant funding received from the Government of the United States of America. This donation is part of the continuous effort to support and strengthen the healthcare sector in Suriname and to increase vaccine coverage in all geographical areas in the country in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The handover was formally done by the PAHO/WHO Representative Dr. Karen Lewis-Bell and the Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of the United States of America in Suriname, Mr. Priyadarshi Sen to Dr. Djamiel Koesni Acting Manager, National Immunization Program.
Dr Djamiel Koesni expressed his gratitude to PAHO and the US Government for the generous donations and contribution to the immunization program in Suriname.
Deputy Chief of Mission Mr. Priyadarshi Sen stated “The US Embassy is pleased to be a part of this important effort and to work closely, as we always have with PAHO, to make these vaccine transport boxes available where they are most needed.”
Dr. Lewis-Bell indicated that “PAHO has been providing technical cooperation to the immunization program in Suriname for over forty-four years and this is just a continuation of our commitment to provide support to strengthen the capacity of the program to deliver vaccines to remote areas and to ensure equal access to all.”
