The Geneeskundige School was a non-academic

medical school A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...

Paramaribo Paramaribo (; ; nicknamed Par'bo) is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 241,000 people (2012 census), almost half of Suriname's ...

founded in 1882. It provided free education for medical students who were only allowed to practice in the Dutch West Indies, and had to work as a

District A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

doctor for six years. The school was dissolved in 1969.

Overview

Healthcare Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...

in Suriname was limited and basic outside of the capital

. In the 1870s, the British government issued a complaint about the morality rate among

indentured labourers Indentured servitude is a form of labor in which a person is contracted to work without salary for a specific number of years. The contract, called an " indenture", may be entered "voluntarily" for purported eventual compensation or debt repayment ...

who had been imported from India. At the time, Herman Benjamins was director of the Department of Education, and responsible for the development of the Geneeskundige School. In 1880, a motion of

Coenraad van Lier Coenraad van Lier (6 January 1836 – 20 January 1903) was a Surinamese physician, politician, and military officer. He established the first medical school in Suriname. Biography Van Lier was born on 6 January 1836 in Paramaribo. He joined the R ...

to found a medical school passed in the Colonial Estates, however the

States General of the Netherlands The States General of the Netherlands ( nl, Staten-Generaal ) is the supreme bicameral legislature of the Netherlands consisting of the Senate () and the House of Representatives (). Both chambers meet at the Binnenhof in The Hague. The States ...

removed the plan from the budget. In 1881, a new motion was accepted. On 1 April 1882, the Geneeskundige School was opened. It offered free education in the medical profession, however it was not a university, therefore, graduates were only allowed to practise medicine in the Dutch West Indies (Suriname and the former

Netherlands Antilles nl, In vrijheid verenigd"Unified by freedom" , national_anthem = , common_languages = Dutch English Papiamento , demonym = Netherlands Antillean , capital = Willemstad , year_start = 1954 , year_end = 2010 , date_start = 15 December , ...

). Graduates were obliged to work in an assigned

for a period of six years. It was possible to continue their education at a Dutch or American university providing the student was younger than 40 years. More than 600 people graduated from the Geneeskundige School. About half later graduated from a university. About 10% were women. The school offered a 7½ year course after the '' Mulo'' (junior high school). On 26 September 1969, the Geneeskundige School was transformed to the Medische Faculteit, an academic school. In 1972, it became part of the

Anton de Kom University Anton de Kom University ( nl, Anton de Kom Universiteit van Suriname) is the only university in Suriname. It is located in the capital, Paramaribo, and named for Anton de Kom, an anti-colonialist activist who was killed by the Nazis while in exi ...

Notable alumni

Henk Chin A Sen Hendrick Rudolf "Henk" Chin A Sen (; pinyin: ''Chén Yàxiān''; 18 January 1934 – 11 August 1999) was a Surinamese politician who served as the President of Suriname from 15 August 1980 until 4 February 1982. Biography Hendrick Rudolf Chin ...

(1934–1999), former President of Suriname. * Sewraam Rambaran Mishre (1915–1964), physician and Deputy Prime Minister. *

Sophie Redmond Jeane Sophie Everdine Redmond (14 January 1907 – 18 September 1955) was a Surinamese physician and activist. Biography Sophie Redmond was born in Paramaribo as the daughter of a teacher of the Moravian Church. Her father wanted her to become ...

(1907–1955), physician and activist, first Afro-Surinamese woman to graduate from the school.

Notable faculty

* Herman Benjamins (1850–1933), educator, editor and encyclopaedist. *

(1836–1903), physician and member of the Colonial Estates.

References

{{Reflist Schools in Suriname Health in Suriname Buildings and structures in Paramaribo