The Surinamese government will take over the financing of the national malaria elimination programme from January 2027. The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Labour will make SRD 18 million available annually for this purpose. Minister André Misiekaba recently announced this in De Nationale Assemblée (Suriname’s parliament; DNA).
According to the minister, this measure is necessary because the Global Fund, which has financially supported malaria control and elimination in Suriname for years, will end funding for the relevant projects at the end of 2026. This threatened to create a shortage of resources from January 2027 to continue the work.
Misiekaba stated that the government has therefore decided to take on the financing itself. To ensure the continuity of the programme, a special fund has been established at the Nationale Ontwikkelingsbank (National Development Bank). Based on the annual operational costs, the ministry will deposit SRD 18 million into this fund each year.
According to the minister, arrangements have also been made to include the required amount in the 2027 national budget. “So from January, we will take over the matter entirely,” he stressed.
Support also from the business sector and international organisations
In addition to government financing, the ministry is seeking additional support from international organisations. Companies active in the Surinamese interior have also pledged, according to Misiekaba, to contribute financially to malaria control.
The minister stressed that there is currently no reason to assume that the financing of the programme is at risk. The pledged resources and the planned government contribution should prevent the malaria approach from being interrupted after Global Fund support ends.
Minister points to personal experience with malaria
Misiekaba underlined the importance of effective malaria control by referring to his personal experience with the disease. The minister said that he himself contracted malaria in 1995 and therefore knows the consequences the disease can have.
“No one should get malaria. So we will ensure that we defend the malaria-free status tooth and nail,” the minister said.
With the structural financing, the government aims to continue malaria elimination efforts and prevent the disease from once again posing a greater threat to public health, particularly for communities in the interior.
