MZS dr. Jan van Mazijk head office

The MZS (Medische Zending Suriname) provides primary health care in the large hinterland of Suriname. This hinterland of approx. 60.000 km2 is mainly dense forest and savanna forest. For the most part, there are no roads, but there are rivers and several small airstrips. The area is divided into 3 regio’s (east, middle, and west). Each region is served by one larger health center with a permanent doctor, and 15 to 20 small clinics in the villages, managed by one or two nurses. The head office of the organization is in Paramaribo. It contains management offices, a permanent communication center for all clinics, a distribution and logistics center, and a training center.
a regional health center consists of a large clinic and 8 to 12 houses
a village center consists of a smaller clinic and 2 houses.
All in all, MZS possesses a building stock of more than 250 units.

The original Dr. Jan van Mazijk Center was built around 1975, according to a design by the architect Edward Morroy. It was quite small at that time. In the years 2000 – 2015, it was extended a number of times by KDV architects. Offices were added, a training center was built and later extended, and a large distribution center was built.