According to the minister, provisions have been made for the coming budget year to continue the medical referrals. For patients who urgently need treatment abroad this year, the available financial options are being considered separately. “We have a situation with the budget in which the resources have been exhausted,” Misiekaba told journalists. According to him, each application under the ARMULOV scheme is reviewed together with the SZF to determine how funds can be freed up to assist the patient after all. “What can be postponed to the next fiscal year, 2027, when sufficient resources will again be available, we will indeed be able to do then,” the minister said.
Colombia arrears partially cleared
In addition to the exhausted budget, Suriname continues to face payment arrears at hospitals in Colombia, where Surinamese patients undergo specialised medical treatment. Misiekaba confirms that the government has now repaid part of the outstanding amounts. According to him, payments began earlier this year after representatives of Colombian healthcare institutions visited Suriname. The minister says another transfer was recently made. However, according to him, the debts are too large to be settled in one payment.
Agreements have therefore been made with the foreign healthcare providers to clear the arrears in smaller amounts. According to Misiekaba, the institutions involved are understanding, although they also depend on timely payments for their services. The Ministry of Finance and Planning has resumed the repayments, according to the minister. He did not disclose the current size of the remaining debt or when it will be fully repaid.
Misiekaba says he has found no irregularities
The minister also addressed earlier allegations of irregularities in the implementation of the ARMULOV scheme. Former Minister of Volksgezondheid Amar Ramadhin had reported irregularities in medical referrals abroad during his term in office. Misiekaba says he himself has found no irregularities. “I have not seen any irregularities,” he stated.
He called on people who have information about possible irregularities to share it with him. According to the minister, concrete indications will be investigated.
The statements are in line with his earlier declaration in July 2026, when he also said there had been no wrongdoing in the current implementation of the scheme. Key News reported at the time on the allegations from previous years and the report filed in 2021.
Previous payment problems
The financial problems surrounding medical referrals are not new. In December 2024, then minister Ramadhin stated that a debt of approximately USD 3 million to Colombian healthcare providers had been cleared. Key News previously published a report on this. In May 2026, it again emerged that Suriname had accumulated substantial payment arrears at Colombian hospitals.
The ARMULOV scheme is intended for patients who cannot be treated in Suriname because of the nature or severity of their condition. A medical committee assesses whether a patient qualifies for a medical referral. The government finances the treatments, while the SZF is involved in the administrative and practical implementation.
