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The Medical Mission (MZ) is fighting the covid-19 barriers in the Upper Suriname area. Maureen van Dijk-Wijngaarde, MZ’s deputy director of Medical Affairs, underlined how worrying the situation is in our country during a Covid-19 press conference held on September 30, 2021. “The statistics from the Medical Mission have shown that all those who died from the coronavirus were not vaccinated,” said the deputy director.
The holiday period is a cause of great concern to MZ, the Upper Suriname area can be classified as the child of concern for every wave. Out of all the regions where the MZ operates, the Upper Suriname area or Saamaka has the largest group of people who live close to each other, and also the largest group of elderly people with risk factors. The most difficult barrier in the Upper Suriname area, according to MZ, is that a particularly colossal group believes that Covid-19 does not exist.
Van Dijk emphasizes that the fight against Covid-19 is a collective task and not just a matter for the government. “The virus has taught us what we can do to prevent people from becoming seriously ill. We know what to do not to get seriously ill, we are people of good sense. We as a society have an influence on controlling corona,” says the medical expert. She also emphasizes that the corona crisis should be tackled from a citizen-government perspective.
The deputy director has indicated that the Medical Mission is in continuous consultation with representatives of the indigenous and tribal peoples. “We hold extensive deliberations with the traditional authorities, the district commissioners of administrative jurisdictions, NGOs and companies operational in the hinterland, so that they have knowledge about how the pandemic is developing,” says Van Dijk.
“Awareness is being set in motion. One must first protect oneself individually and then motivate fellow villagers and others as well. Due to the enormous pressure on hospitals, patients are sent home early, in some cases with an oxygen concentrator.” In the area where MZ operates, the greater part does not have 1×24 hour electricity. “The light must come on among people in the interior so that the corona pandemic does not become a drama,” the official added.
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