Complications of diabetes constitute a significant problem in Surinam primarily due to late diagnosis and poor control.To a large extent, these complications are avoidable. However, preventing complications requires continuous attention to symptoms and information for people with diabetes.The healthcare capacity in Surinam is strained due to a lack of resources and well-trained personnel. Consequently, prevention and education in diabetes care come under pressure.The project aims to strengthen the capacity for diabetes prevention and management by establishing a national training course for diabetes nurses.
The Surinam Ministry of Health recognises that diabetes care in Surinam is insufficient and essential to improve it. Therefore, it has taken the lead to introduce a specialised course to become a diabetes nurse.The course for diabetes nurses will be placed with the Surinam institution responsible for central training of nurses and related occupations (COVAB). A team of the Dutch NGO COGESUR, Langerhans Foundation, University of Utrecht and University of Rotterdam will provide expert assistance.The training programme will be developed to match Surinam's specific needs and requirements. The course is initially intended only for nurses. The course level will be intermediate vocational education plus (MBO+). Later, an amended, lower-level course will be started for carers and assistants.In the first instance, 60 nurses and 60 carers will be trained over two years. After that, the training is expected to continue as an integrated part of the COVAB training package.The Dutch partners will train the first two groups of nurses. Two to four talented students will be identified and trained as teachers among the participants in these two groups. The idea is that these Surinamese teachers will carry out the training of the subsequent groups.The participants will be nurses and carers with work experience recruited from polyclinics and hospitals. After completing the training course, the participants will return to their duty stations and take up positions as diabetes nurses/carers.It is anticipated that diabetes nurses and carers will play an essential role in the prevention and management of diabetes. This will provide nurses with a critical role in patient support.As another essential benefit, the work of the diabetes nurses will ease the burden of the intricate, strained doctors, enabling the doctors to focus more on complicated cases.
• 60 nurses and 55 care givers have been trained in the prevention and management of diabetes• Integrating the diabetes training into the national health system in Surinam