Minister André Misiekaba is once again responding personally to my criticism of health policy, this time suggesting that I should join the NDP if I have nothing to do. That fits a pattern: no substantive rebuttal, but irritation and distraction. I am a committed Surinamer, a healthcare professional, and I will continue to speak out about developments within healthcare, with or without his approval.
IS4H: existing is not the same as performing
The minister calls my criticism of the IS4H and HEARTS projects “fables”, because, according to him, the programmes have not been discontinued. But the question is not whether a programme exists on paper. The question is whether implementation is progressing. I therefore ask specifically:
- Who currently has the administrative and technical leadership of IS4H?
- Which implementation structure is actually functioning?
- Which budgets have been made available and spent since July 2025?
- Which new milestones have been achieved under his responsibility?
- What has the termination of cooperation with the IS4H consultant delivered? What expertise has replaced it, and what has happened to the components that were already well advanced?
General practitioners: why was support discontinued?
Agreements had been made with the VMS on long-term support for the digitalisation of private general practitioners’ practices. That support has been discontinued. According to my information, this has even led to a lawsuit against the ministry. Without that support, participation risks declining and the nationwide rollout is stagnating. I ask the minister to make public the original agreements, the reason for termination and the consequences for the practices.
RGD Moengo: a pilot from March 2025 is not a new achievement
The minister points to the IDB visit to the RGD in Moengo as evidence of progress. However, that pilot already started in March 2025, under the previous government. A working visit to an existing pilot does not make that pilot an achievement of the current minister. Continuity is good, but it must then be stated honestly what has been taken over and what has been newly added.
USD 450,000 invested, but not in use
The core of IS4H is “one patient, one record”: patient data must be securely available to authorised healthcare providers, wherever the patient receives care. This requires interoperability between systems, not merely digitalisation within each institution.
Precisely for this purpose, an essential software component was developed under the previous government, with an investment of approximately USD 450,000. According to my information, it has now been delivered, but is not being used operationally. Why not? Is it due to technical problems, a lack of expertise, organisational shortcomings or a policy choice? I ask the minister for transparency regarding delivery, acceptance, current status and planned commissioning.
Without data exchange, digital islands arise instead of one coherent healthcare information system.
Medische Zending: what has actually been digitalised?
The minister gives the impression that the digitalisation of the Medische Zending has been completed. I hear otherwise from those involved. I ask him to state exactly:
- which outpatient clinics have been digitalised;
- which systems are operational;
- how many healthcare providers are working with them;
- whether secure data exchange with other institutions already exists.
HEARTS: why is the solution to duplicate registration being discontinued?
HEARTS depends on systematic data from primary care on cardiovascular diseases. However, doctors had to register data twice: in their own Electronic Patient Record (EPD) and in a separate HEARTS application. Under the previous government, work had begun to eliminate this duplicate entry, so that more doctors could participate. According to my information, it is precisely that step that has been discontinued. Moreover, the relevant IDB loan has ended, causing technical support to fall away. How does the minister intend to involve more doctors if this obstacle remains? And how are maintenance, technical support and further development financially and organisationally guaranteed?
Acknowledge what exists and show your own results
The digitalisation of the death certificate, the certification of electronic patient records and the foundations for secure data exchange were achieved in the 2020–2025 period. I have no objection to this government building on that. That is good governance. However, I do object to presenting an image of progress while essential components are at a standstill, support is being terminated and investments remain unused.
Criticism is not sabotage
And now something about Minister Misiekaba’s remarkable invitation for me to join the NDP if I have nothing to do. Minister, I understand that you may still have much work to do within your party. But I can reassure you: my agenda is sufficiently full and my political conviction is not in question. If your invitation to me is in fact a disguised call to help make up for the lack of expertise within your party, you could simply have said so directly. I appreciate your recognition of my expertise, but my political conviction is not for sale.”
Moreover, you appear to be losing sight of something fundamental. The Ministry of Health is not an extension of the NDP and criticising government policy is not an application procedure for membership of your party. You are minister for all Surinamers. Also for those who did not vote for your party. Also for those who critically follow your policy. And also for those who refuse to remain silent when they believe matters should be improved.
Minister Misiekaba, you needed four years to find your way back to the NDP. I do not need a single day to consider my right to criticise your policy.”
Drs. Amar Ramadhin, Physician
