On Thursday, September 2, the group of friends Hemmat/OHM donated a number of hospital beds and mattresses to Public Health Minister Ammar Ramadan for the benefit of healthcare in Suriname. During the handover, speeches were given to the Minister, the Director of Health, Rakesh Jagadhar Sokol, the Commissioner of North Eastern Paramaribo Province, Ricardo Bhola, and the Principal Coordinator of the Friends of Hemmat Group, Santi Pirkash Gobinda.
Minister Ramadin was pleased with the donation and was full of praise for the excellent work the group of friends has been doing for Suriname for years. The minister indicated that due to the developments of the Covid-19 virus, the donation came at the right time. Of course, the ministry doesn’t just want to use equipment for Covid-19 patients. However, he cannot deny that the situation is getting worse.
The minister also wants to make an arrangement to meet the organizations that send materials to Suriname from a social point of view by withdrawing import duties. “When it comes to noble deeds, you will definitely find the minister responsible for that, to support donations for our health care and patients,” Minister Ramadan said.
Principal Coordinator Gobinda says that the satisfaction he gets when he can contribute to people’s needs inspires him and the group of friends to keep doing the work. He noted that the willingness of the group of friends in the Netherlands as well as the OHM Foundation, who had deployed their forces to realize this project, was greatly appreciated. The coordinator also announced that more beds and mattresses should be shipped to Suriname this year.
Hamat has been around for 36 years as a group of friends in the Netherlands who enjoyed football together. From there, the ideas became more meaningful to the community in Suriname. The beds and mattresses arrived in the twenty-second container. In recent years, Hamat has contributed often when it comes to social assistance and support in Suriname.
The ceremony concluded with the family being seen and transferred by the Minister to the leadership of the various hospitals represented there, including the Land Hospital, Diakonisinhaes Hospital, Atjouni Regional Hospital and Saint Vincentus Hospital.
