Diakonessenhuis (Paramaribo)


Diakonessenhuis is a hospital in Paramaribo, Suriname. It was founded as the Protestant hospital of Paramaribo.

History

In 1946 a foundation was set up to start a Diakonessenhuis in Paramaribo, but only when the director of the Diakonessenhuis in Utrecht, dr. M.A. van Melle, took over the initiative in 1955 and contacted the Dutch public broadcaster NCRV did developments grow more seriously. In 1960 a fundraising show was broadcast on television which generated 1.9 million Dutch guilders. Together with a donation from worth 1 million guilders and a low interest loan of the same amount, there was enough money to build a hospital.
In late 1961 construction was started, and the hospital eventually opened on 30 November 1962.