Acute emergency in overcrowded Surinamese hospitals due to lack of oxygen

In Suriname, hospitals are struggling with a shortage of oxygen for covid patients. According to the website Star news The situation is so dire that doctors have to decide which patients will and will not receive oxygen.

Last week, the health services in Suriname already spoke of code black because the hospitals are packed. An emergency protocol was established yesterday. This determines who is eligible for necessary treatment.

Regular patients can only go to hospital for emergency and semi-emergency emergencies. GPs have been instructed to refer only urgent cases.

shipping accident

It was also decided this week to prepare an exhibition hall in Paramaribo for the reception of covid patients. But the treatment cannot start there due to lack of oxygen.

The cause of the oxygen shortage is an accident with a ship that brings the oxygen to Suriname. The ship was banned from sailing two weeks ago after a collision at a shipyard in Paramaribo. The ship was allowed to leave on May 18, but did not return after that, possibly due to an insurance issue. As a result, two shipments of oxygen from Trinidad and Tobago were not delivered.

Difficult choices

Suriname has asked neighboring French Guiana for help. The intention is that French Guiana will deliver its first load of oxygen on Sunday and that the oxygen shortages will be over next week.

“Until then, doctors face difficult choices,” says the chairman of the National Hospital Council in Suriname.

Dutch help

The number of infections in Suriname has been rising rapidly in recent weeks, from about 70 per day a month ago to an average of 187 per day in the last week.

Earlier this month, the alarm bells were sounded because Suriname is struggling with a shortage of healthcare personnel and vaccines. Vaccines are only coming in sparsely, which means that the vaccination of the population has barely started.

The Netherlands promised the delivery of 700,000 vaccines two weeks ago and may also help with the administration of the vaccines. But those vaccines haven’t arrived yet. Suriname has just under 600,000 inhabitants. The problem is also that many Surinamese do not want to be vaccinated.

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