–Medvarsity partnership as six new hospitals near completion

– Partnership delivers 300 online courses to nurses and doctors; hands-on training in India being explored for future programmes

HOLISTIC development continues to unfold across Guyana’s key sectors, with the most recent initiative coming from a groundbreaking partnership between the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) and India’s Medvarsity.

This collaboration has led to the launch of a new Health Services Programme, offering more than 300 courses to a new cohort of 165 nurses and doctors. According to Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony, the programme is a critical next step in further developing Guyana’s healthcare system by investing in human capital.

Delivering the feature address at the virtual launch of the programme on Tuesday morning, Minister Anthony said the initiative is designed to address existing gaps in the health system and to help build a sustainable and efficient healthcare sector.
This partnership marks the first collaboration between GOAL and Medvarsity, one of Asia’s largest healthcare EdTech companies, accessible in more than 190 countries.
Speaking directly to the first cohort of students, Dr Anthony highlighted the programme’s role in building technical capacity among healthcare personnel, a key priority for the Government of Guyana.
The programme has already attracted significant interest across the country, with 84 per cent of the participants being nurses and 16 per cent doctors. Of the 165 students enrolled, 141 are women.
One of the programme’s highlights, according to Minister Anthony, is its approach. Participants will learn medical practices and techniques in keeping with international standards; skills that will be applied in areas such as the critical care units in new hospitals slated to open across Guyana in the coming months.
The courses that they’re taking are very pertinent to what we want to do, because I see a lot of people want to learn a little bit more about interpretation of ECGs, and among the nurses, the desire to learn more about critical care. Now, one of the things that we are doing is to open new hospitals. We have six hospitals that would be opened between now and the end of August,” Minister Anthony stated.

FUTURE TRAINING IN INDIA
Looking ahead, Minister Anthony explained that GOAL and Medvarsity will adopt a ‘mixed approach’, allowing Guyanese students to participate in practical training in India. “While we are starting with most of the courses that probably you can do all online, in the future we are hoping to pursue some of the courses that would be delivered in a mixed way,” he said.
He further explained that while this inaugural programme is currently entirely online, the Ministry and Medvarsity are looking to expand their partnership to include international student exchange and training.
“You do the theory online, and then if there are practical things that need to be done or learned, we can send those persons to India to get those types of practical skills. Because, you know, medicine, apart from knowing the theory, it’s also a hands-on thing. So, you need to have some practical skills, and we look forward to sending some of our people to India to get those skills,” he added.
Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer of Medvarsity, Gerald Jaideep, echoed the Minister’s vision of combining online education with real-world experience.

“Aligning with the Minister’s vision of online plus offline learning, the key impact of healthcare training happens at the bedside, beside the patient. And we’re very excited to hear the Minister’s vision of looking at that aspect of skilling and enablement, because that’s where truly transformative healthcare outcomes happen,” he said.
He further added, “We are super excited to work in whatever form or manner possible, bringing our clinical expertise to Guyana, supporting Guyana’s experts to come to India or other parts of the world to learn from the best of the best out there. And hopefully, very soon with the six new hospitals opening, we can make Guyana the centre of medical excellence for the Caribbean region.”

GUYANA’S HEALTHCARE VISION
Speaking on the broader development of Guyana’s healthcare sector, Minister Anthony highlighted the sector’s ongoing growth, new initiatives, and infrastructure, and emphasised the role that trained Guyanese professionals can play in a rapidly evolving landscape.
“We’re expanding the health sector here. As I said, six new hospitals will be opened by August this year, and we have another six in the pipeline to be constructed and opened over the next two years. We’re also going to be building an oncology centre, and there are lots of specialists that we would need in the area of oncology,” he stated.
The goal, Dr. Anthony said, is not just to create a better healthcare system, but to deliver the best possible care to Guyanese and make Guyana the Caribbean’s newest healthcare hub.