PARAMARIBO —The U.S. Embassy in Paramaribo is announcing the start of ‘Gran Mati’ 2024 in partnership with the Surinamese Ministry of Defense.  Thirty-two medical providers, medics, dentists, and behavioral health specialists from the South Dakota Army National Guard and 114th Fighter Wing will provide free healthcare for citizens of Suriname as part of Operation ‘Gran Mati’. 

Services will be provided at Heilig Hart School, La Vigilantia; St. Wilhelmus School, Powakka; and a special unit of JTV Dental Clinic at the Military Hospital, Paramaribo from August 19 through August 26.  Medical operations at the sites in Para will be from 08:00-16:00 hrs. on weekdays and 08:00-14:00 hrs. on Saturday and Sunday. Dental care at the Military Hospital will be provided from 08:00-14:00 hrs. on weekdays only.

‘Gran Mati’, which means ‘good friend’, is a military operation for medical outreach to the interior of Suriname, where healthcare is limited. Free medical treatment will be provided to citizens of Suriname by the Surinamese and United States Armed Forces. This will be the fourth edition of Operation ‘Gran Mati’.  In previous years the operation took place in Albina, District Marowijne; Apoera, Resort Kabalebo, District Sipaliwini; and Langa Tabbetje, Resort Pamacca, District Sipaliwini…[+]