the hospital’s director, Henk Aviankoi. This move will give the pregnant women from the region access to medical care, advice and support during and after their pregnancy. “We expect our maternity ward to be operation next week. We have a professional who is optimistic and we are almost finished with the preparations,” said Aviankoi. The new ward is part of a bigger strategic plan of the hospital. The hospital also aims at opening a dialysis center, an emergency family clinic and an ambulance service. One the maternity ward is up and running pregnant women will no longer have to travel for many hours just to reach Paramaribo. “The distance between Paramaribo and Albina is too long. By providing this service locally, pregnant women will no longer have to go on a long and uncomfortable trip,” said Aviankoi. The Marwina Hospital will also opt for a collaboration agreement with two big hospitals that are located in the nation's capital. “Everybody wants to lend a helping hand,” said Aviankoi. “We are holdings talks with specialists who could support us at least once a week so that we can keep providing top quality care. The hospital workers are currently being trained in Paramaribo.”