Pres Ali highlights Guyana’s efforts to build world-class health ecosystem
President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali highlighted a slew of innovative initiatives Guyana is implementing to reshape its health system.
Delivering the keynote address during the opening of the 70th Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) Annual Health Research Conference on Wednesday, President Ali said modern health care requires data that comes from the digital ID, school records, immigration history and community statistics.
He outlined 10 areas in which Guyana is actively advancing its health system through innovative technologies.
The president noted that the country is partnering with leading international hospitals, including Northwell and The Mount Sinai Health System, to digitise health records and modernise patient management.
New state-of-the-art hospitals, in addition to the six already commissioned, are being constructed to expand access to primary and secondary care. Hospitals have already been commissioned in Regions Two to Six.
Advanced medical technology and artificial intelligence are being deployed for diagnostic testing, with AI scan interpretation already operating in four facilities. Robotics are also being used in surgeries, and drones are being deployed to deliver blood and antivenom to areas not easily reached by land or river.
The president said the telemedicine initiative is being scaled to close the gap created by Guyana’s vast geography, targeting villages in the hinterland and remote areas.
Guyana has also developed a public-supported, private-delivered service model, agreeing with private providers on a unified cost structure in nearly 10 health service areas so patients receive the same care at the same cost across the two systems.
“We are not trapped in old ideological boxes that view the private health care system as separate and distinct from the public health care system,” President Ali said. “If partnerships improve care, reduce waiting time, and expand access, then partnerships make sense.”
Health worker training is being intensified, including through a hybrid nursing programme that the president said will soon be available to the wider Caribbean.
In addition, Guyana is developing a life science park to drive research and development, pharmaceutical manufacturing and the establishment of a biobank, while the health system is moving towards precision medicine.
President Ali also spoke of the partnership with ExxonMobil to invest US$30 million in a STEM education centre that will introduce children to science, technology and innovation from a young age.
“I said before that our prosperity and development must lead to regional prosperity and regional development,” he told the gathering, noting that the Guyana’s health investments are being designed with regional benefit in mind.
The 70th CARPHA Annual Health Research Conference continues through Friday, April 24, under the theme ‘Innovations in Health.‘