Guyana’s health sector to be digitally integrated with US, Indian healthcare providers

Last Updated on Saturday, 15 February 2025, 12:40 by Writer

Guyana, in its quest to create a “world class” healthcare sector, plans to integrate the publicly and privately-owned health sectors with counterparts in New York and India, President Irfaan Ali announced on Friday.

“We are building a healthcare system to respond to your needs because we want you to have world-class health services,” he said at the sod turning for the construction of a 150-bed West Demerara hospital at Best Village (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) at a cost of GY$11.4 billion.

He said talks were recently held with non-profit Northwell Health, New York’s largest healthcare provider, to offer specialised services through a platform of integrated publicly-owned hospitals and privately-owned healthcare institutions in Guyana.

President Ali said the new West Demerara Hospital would be equipped with a control room to integrate all the health centres and health posts through which all the doctors would be available. He said that regional system would be linked to the national platform with links internationally. “We have already negotiated for this platform to be integrated with the Northwell platform, Mount Sinai platform and now some of the best providers in India so that our doctors will have specialty services to support their decision-making system. We will be integrated into the global healthcare system,” he said.

Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony told Demerara Waves Online News that the intention is to establish an electronic hospital platform to offer telemedicine consultations. Already, the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation’s modern pathology lab could send specimens electronically to Mount Sinai for second opinions.

Dr Anthony said the new West Demerara Hospital would be equipped with a catheterisation magnetic resonance imaging laboratory (cath/MRI lab) to diagnose heart and treat heart conditions, computed tomography (CT) scanners, mammography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines. The new facility would also have four operating theatres, intensive care units (ICUs), neonatal and paediatric ICUs.

Already, the existing West Demerara Regional Hospital offers digital X-rays, ultrasound and echocardiogram services.

Government plans to officially open six new hospitals this year as well as several others, including the West Demerara Hospital, in 2028.