-President Ali says, outlines plans for a high-tech Life Science Park where breakthrough ideas will be born

PRESIDENT, Dr Irfaan Ali has noted that Guyana is set to redefine healthcare in the Caribbean with a focus on future-forward transformation and transformative projects to build the future of medicine.

The Head of State made this known while speaking at the recent commissioning of the Enmore Regional Hospital.

“Guyana is not waiting for the future of medicine. We are building it,” President Ali said, as he outlined Guyana’s entrance into the era of predictive, personalised and precision medicine.

“This is not tinkering at the edges. This is a bold leap into tomorrow,” he added.

At the centre of this transformation is a Life Science Park, described by Dr Ali as a high-tech hub of medical innovation and a laboratory where breakthrough ideas are born and lives are saved through science.

According to President Ali, this park will include biobank storage facilities, a medicine institute, centres for drug and diagnostic development and state-of-the-art vaccine and biologics manufacturing plants.

“It will be the engine of a new economy, one driven by research, innovation and healing; one belonging to the people of this country and belonging to Guyana,” he stated.

Apart from infrastructure, the President revealed the government’s plans to make the park a global research hub through collaboration with top academic institutions.

“The Life Science Park will be co-housed with world-leading academic institutions, making it a hotbed for cutting-edge research in translational science, clinical trials and data analytics.”

Against this backdrop, President Ali disclosed that Guyana’s natural gas resources will power the park, giving it a low-cost advantage for data warehouses and AI (artificial intelligence) labs.

Further to this, Dr Ali told the gathering, “We have already begun discussions with the Life Science Park in southern Belgium, with support from the European Union, to establish strong global partnerships and ensure that Guyana is plugged into the world’s most advanced medical networks.”

The goal, he added, is nothing less than making Guyana a world-class health provider and a Caribbean hub for biotech innovation.

“A place where AI meets medicine, where science meets service and where every life counts,” he said.

Meanwhile, in addition to the Life Science Park, he indicated that the government is working with Mount Sinai Hospital to establish an advanced oncology centre in Guyana, which he noted will bring cutting-edge cancer diagnostics, treatment and research to these shores, thus reducing the need for patients to travel abroad for care.

With this, the health transformation also includes the establishment first-of-its-kind stroke rehabilitation centre in Guyana, designed to support one of the country’s leading causes of death and disability.

“We are building a specialised stroke rehabilitation centre… focused on restoring quality of life to those affected.”

At the same time, he noted that Guyana is also building a first-class health emergency system, in collaboration with Northwell Health, to revolutionise emergency response and show faster, more efficient care and coordinated hospital transfer.

Dr Ali noted, “We are not merely making improvements. We are building a system that is second to none, the healthcare system that is modern, responsive, compassionate and world-class.