find a better future and salary abroad. The government has therefore introduced a new salary structure for nurses in order to tackle the braindrain in the nation’s healthcare sector. Health, Welfare and Labor Minister André Misiekaba explained that specialized nurses must urgently be kept in Suriname. The new salary structure is aimed at making sure that nurses will earn between $700 and $ 1,100 per month starting at the end of November. According to Minister Misiekaba, the new salary structure is a big improvement compared to what they are earning currently. The CDS explained that the salary hike will be introduced in phases. On top of the new salary nurses will also receive several allowances and overtime pay. In order to finance the new salary structure the tariffs for staying at a hospital will be raised in accordance with the current market rates. “The current tariffs for a one-day stay are outdated. It has been calculated that it should cost $200 for a person to be admitted to the hospital for a while day”, said Minister Misiekaba. Minister Misiekaba pointed out that around one thousand nurses left Suriname between 2019 and 2025. “These nurses were stationed neonatal ward, the intensive care and surgery rooms. They are almost irreplaceable. We will do everything we can to stop this braindrain”, said Minister Misiekaba who added that the introduction of a new salary structure is just one step but an important one. The government will also provide housing and training programs to nurses. In October the government will launch a program aimed at training 175 nurses to become specialized in certain fields. The training program will be carried out in association with the Netherlands. The government will also further strengthen the collaboration with Elsje Finck-Sanichar College (COVAB). “We want to make sure that the nurses who stayed do not leave and that those who left will come back”, said Minister Misiekaba.