– as he commissions Dr Balwant Singh Outpatient Pavilion
President Dr Irfaan Ali on Saturday commissioned the new Outpatient Pavilion at Dr Balwant Singh’s Hospital on East Street, Georgetown, describing the facility as a symbol of Guyana’s rapidly transforming and integrated healthcare system.
The head of state emphasised that the investment by Dr Balwant Singh’s Hospital is part of a broader, national strategy to eliminate the divide between public and private healthcare.
President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali delivering the feature address at the opening of the Dr Balwant Singh’s Outpatient Pavillion
“We want healthcare to have no distinction between public and private,” he declared noting that,“You go to public or private as a choice, and that is where we want to take healthcare.”
He defended the government’s decision to partner with private hospitals to clear a backlog of diagnostic tests, rejecting criticisms that the move amounted to outsourcing responsibility.
“We were not bankrolling private healthcare. We were bridging the divide,” he said while stating that,“Smart governance means leveraging every asset in the national interest.”
Dr Balwant Singh’s Outpatient Pavillion
“We made it very clear that we wanted a health sector that exceeds global standards and one in which the public and private sectors are acutely integrated,” the president stated.
Through partnerships with leading international institutions, including Mount Sinai, Northwell Health and Apollo Hospitals, Guyana is aligning its services with global benchmarks.
“I have had the opportunity to visit this facility,” President Ali said, explaining that, “Those who go through it will be stunned at the level of infrastructure, the cleanliness, and the quality feel.”
He disclosed that visiting international specialists recently indicated that Guyana’s new regional hospitals are on par with global facilities.
He said this feedback motivates the government to push even further.
Underscoring the government’s forward-looking approach, the president said Guyana is aggressively deploying technology, artificial intelligence and digitisation to improve efficiency and eliminate shortages.
“There should be no shortages with the investments we are making,” he stated but noted that, “Shortages are based completely on human inefficiency—and that is why we are going to use AI and technology to remove that inefficiency from the system.”
Key initiatives include:
Nationwide rollout of electronic health records
Expansion of telemedicine services to 200 sites
AI-assisted diagnostics for X-rays and CT scans
Integration of emergency response systems with GPS tracking
He also reiterated his ambition to position Guyana at the forefront of robotic surgery in the Western Hemisphere.
“We want robotics here yesterday,” President Ali said.
He declared, “It’s not if or when—we are going there.”
He explained that robotic-assisted procedures would reduce surgeon fatigue, improve precision and maintain consistent performance even during high surgical volumes.
Beyond service delivery, the government is working toward manufacturing medicines locally and creating an integrated platform for medical supplies.
“We don’t only want to buy and sell,” President Ali explained. “We want to create the framework here so we can manufacture for the rest of the region.”
Dr Balwant Singh’s Hospital remains the first and only hospital in Guyana to achieve ISO 9001:2015 certification for its quality management system, reinforcing its commitment to excellence.
Services offered at the Dr Balwant Singh’s Outpatient Pavillion
