–as transformation continues, Dr. Anthony says; points to plans for more investments to tackle chronic diseases

WITH a slew of new health centres having been built and several new hospitals on the horizon, Guyana’s medical landscape has seen a sweeping transformation.

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, during his address at this year’s Cardiology Symposium held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre on Saturday, highlighted the remarkable progress made within the country’s healthcare system over the past few years.

“A lot of the transformation that we were looking at was how do we improve the physical infrastructure across the health system,” the minister said, noting: “We started out by looking at all of our health facilities. And it might surprise you that we have more than 400 health facilities across this country. We have a whole subset of the district hospitals, regional hospitals, and of course, the Georgetown Public Hospital.”

He emphasised the magnitude of the investment, noting, “We spent billions of dollars in improvement. And within the last three years, in addition to improving almost every single health facility in this country, we have built 25 new health centres and hospitals in different parts of Guyana.”

Minister Anthony also detailed the government’s push to modernise healthcare delivery in remote regions.

“We will also look at the interior of Guyana, and we currently have under construction, a new hospital at Moruca, and new hospitals at Kato, in and Lethem,” he said, adding that the ministry also has further plans to develop the Bartica Hospital.

He assured citizens that these new facilities will be better equipped than ever before, better serving people across the more rural parts of the country.

“All of these facilities will also have CT scans and other imaging, and [will be] more advanced than the current facilities that we have. We will see, in a couple of years, a total transformation of the hospital part of the whole sector, and all of these places will be interconnected, so that if we need a transferral, it will be done quite seamlessly,” Dr. Anthony said.

This comes as the ministry gears up to open five newly constructed hospitals across Regions Three and Four, starting with the Diamond Region Hospital today.

On the topic of chronic diseases, particularly heart conditions, Minister Anthony acknowledged the growing need for proactive and preventative care.

“In terms of chronic disease, we have spent quite a lot of resources in terms of focusing on chronic and non-communicable diseases,” he said.

Additionally, in an effort to modernise cardiac care, Guyana continues to make strides in the HEARTS protocol; an initiative by the World Health Organisation and adopted by Guyana in 2023.

“HEARTS is more, apart from giving more effective medication, it’s also about a lifestyle change, where you have to look at the person’s habits, you have to encourage them to exercise, and there is something now that is being prompted called a lifestyle loss. So if we are able to introduce that successfully to our patients, then we will be able to have managed their conditions,” the Minister Anthony said.

Currently, the country has established HEARTS at 201 sites across Guyana, accommodating close to 4,000 patients. The system is part of a broader national strategy to improve heart health, prevent complications, and ultimately reduce the country’s cardiovascular disease burden.