THE Ministry of Health is currently in partnership with a number of international organisations, as part of its efforts to bring improvement to the country’s healthcare system.

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, made that revelation on Wednesday, during his daily COVID-19 update where he stated that strong partnerships have been formed with multilateral agencies such as the Pan American Health Organisation/ World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO).

To this end, he stated that PAHO/WHO has been integrally involved in the country’s health sector as the ministry has been working with the organisation on a number of projects.

“This include getting guidance on legislation that we want to implement. We have also been benefitting from their technical guidance in several areas so we continue to work with them,” he said.

He mentioned that, recently, a consultant, through PAHO, came to work with local authorities on neglected infectious diseases, even as other persons are expected to come to Guyana from different fields.

Aside from PAHO, Dr Anthony added that the ministry has been working closely with UNICEF in the area of immunisation and the rolling out of vaccine programmes and with the UNFPA on reproductive health issues.

“The UN itself, we’ve been looking at other ways we can utilise technology in healthcare so a number of partners have been collaborating with us and, through these collaborations, we’ve been able to move a lot of things forward in the health sector,” he added.

Meanwhile, the minister also revealed that there is currently a partnership with the University of Oxford to use innovative techniques to control malaria in the hinterland. He stated that this project is specifically targeting Region Nine and, while some preliminary works have been done, it is expected to continue this year.

Additionally, there is also a partnership with the Columbia University which focuses on the area of psychiatry. Specific studies relating to suicide and other mental health issues in Guyana are expected to be conducted.