Medellín, Colombia – Guyanese President Irfaan Ali attended the groundbreaking for the USD $54 million (GY$11.4 billion) West Demerara Hospital on February 14, marking a step in the South American country’s journey towards better quality healthcare services. The hospital, fully funded by the Government of Guyana, is expected to be completed by 2028.
President Ali stated during an address that, “We are building a healthcare system to respond to your needs because we want you to have world-class health services”.
According to the Department of Public Information, the new hospital is one of six to be commissioned by Guyana’s government in the second and third quarter of 2025 and will be equipped with 24-hour accident and emergency services, 24-hour labs, imaging services including ultrasound, digital X-Ray, and CT scans, along with new operation theatres. These constructions form part of the initiative to revolutionize diagnostic testing.
In addition to the building of new medical facilities, President Ali announced that a new integrated digital health system will be developed in order to connect healthcare services across the nation. Major hospitals will be linked to smaller ones across the country through a digital patient management system and patients will have access to telemedicine consultations.
There will be “a control room that integrates all the health centers, the health posts and the hospital on a common platform, and all the doctors will be available on that platform”, said Ali in reference to the West Demerara Hospital. Further, he said that this platform would be linked to a national platform in Georgetown and all other regions, hoping to eliminate long journeys between Guyana’s regions in order to access quality healthcare.
The new platform builds upon the aims declared for Guyana’s healthcare system in Ali’s manifesto, titled “Our Plan for Prosperity”, and centers the standardization of medical services available to Guyanese citizens.
Region Eight, Potaro-Siparuni, is one of Guyana’s most remote areas and is characterized by its mountainous terrain, dense forests and poor road networks. Its geographic isolation and limited healthcare infrastructure impede access to both preventative and emergency care. The region’s stable tropical climate also permits year round mosquito activity and malaria transmission.
The situation in Region Eight is reflective of what is occurring in Guyana’s other remote regions. In annex 19 of the National Development Strategy, it states that Malaria was the leading cause of morbidity in Regions one, seven, eight and nine, which form Guyana’s hinterland. This area, home to the majority of the country’s indigenous population, faces limited access to adequate medical services in comparison to areas such as Region Four, which benefits from 39 health centers, as well as a specialist hospital.
The proposed integrated digital platform seeks to unite healthcare services across the country which currently operate independently, giving greater access to residents of Guyana’s poorer, remote Regions.
Featured image credit: President Irfaan Ali addressing Region Three residents at the sod turning event for the $11.4 billion new, state of the art West Demerara Hospital via Guayana Department of Public Information: https://dpi.gov.gy/12-new-hospitals-to-come-on-stream-by-2028-president-ali/
