Medische Zending Primary Health Care Suriname, commonly known as Medische Zending (Dutch for "medical mission") or MZ is a Surinamese charitable organization offering primary healthcare to remote villages in the interior of Suriname.
The history of Medische Zending began on 3 October 1740 with J. Franz Reynier. Reynier, a medical doctor and missionary, and his wife came to Suriname on behalf of the Moravian Church. The purpose was not just to be a missionary, but also to provide medical health care including operations. [1]
Medische Zending was established in 1765 when Ludwig Christiaan Dehne, Rudolf Stoll, and Thomas Jones established a base near the Suriname River which became the first clinic. [2] The evangelism efforts started to decline with the British seizing of the Dutch colonies during the Napoleonic Wars and ended in 1808,[3] however the first hospital remained operational until 1817.[1] It wasn't until 1919 when a outpatient clinic was founded at Botopasi.[1]
On 2 Januari 1974, the foundation Medizebs was established to continue the work of the Church and to transfer Medische Zending to the Ministry of Health. [2]
Medische Zending operates 52 primary healthcare centres in the Surinamese interior:[4]