Being in Suriname was a far different experience compared to being in the US, let alone Pittsburgh. For one there is not a uniform bus system in which you can safely travel anywhere freely. In Pittsburgh we have the PRT system which makes it a lot easier to travel back and forth around the city. In Pittsburgh we have UPMC and other hospitals which allow access to quality care when needed as long as your insurance covers it. In Suriname healthcare access is severely difficult as there is limited transportation to acquire health services and if you are even further from the capital city of Paramaribo it makes it even harder.

However, even in the United States although it would seem from the transportation aspect that we prioritize health and the needs of constituents we still have a lot to learn and honestly a lot that we can still learn from Suriname. For example, Suriname has a universal health coverage system that allows everyone in Suriname to be provided with insurance from the federal government. The US on the other hand battles between public and privatized healthcare coverage which allows the issue of healthcare to continue within our country.

This was a major difference that if you did not do research on Suriname, you would not think that a developing nation like that would have. Suriname has the potential to provide equitable care for its constituents if given the resources to thrive in the global market. The one thing holding Suriname back that is not holding the United States back is funding. Suriname is only able to put a limited percentage of its GDP towards healthcare while in the United States because we as a country maintain a higher GDP we can put more resources towards healthcare. Even with that change, there is a distinct difference between the effort towards providing healthcare and the funds to do so.