–President Ali commissions new Bath regional hospital
–announces plans for countrywide integrated laboratory services

PRESIDENT Dr. Irfaan Ali on Wednesday announced the rollout of integrated laboratory services across Guyana, aimed at improving access to primary healthcare and promoting healthier family life.

The announcement was made during the commissioning of the new Bath Regional Hospital in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), a state-of-the-art facility that promises to transform healthcare delivery in the area.

Addressing those gathered at the ceremony, President Ali underscored the government’s vision of linking improved healthcare services to quality of life.
“I want to remind you that quality health care is also linked to quality life, and quality life is about how we treat our bodies and how we take care of ourselves from birth to our pre-determined exit,” he said.

He further detailed plans for an integrated, accessible national network of laboratories, including containerised facilities designed to bring diagnostics closer to communities.
“You will see a lot of emphasis being placed on this investment in the coming months and years to support this investment. You will see we’ll be launching a comprehensive ‘lab’ integration service across our country, just like these containerised police outposts we’ll be putting down containerised ‘labs’ across our country, especially in larger communities, integrating those ‘labs’ with health development and healthcare management.”

The President said these services will be designed to be user-friendly, allowing citizens to stop in on their way to work for basic health checks.
“We want to have these facilities where the population can go; you go to work, you stop in, you check your sugar levels. So, we are building these facilities to allow ease of access, to enhance family health care, to support healthy living.”

He highlighted Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) as a sample location for this initiative, citing its demographic profile and population dynamics. The region will serve as a model for a holistic family health strategy as the government continues its investment in people-centred care.

Meanwhile, Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony outlined the modern features of the new Bath Regional Hospital, and its potential to significantly improve health outcomes in the region.
“This hospital is going to change lives because in this hospital, we have three brand new operating theatres with all the necessary equipment and so and so we are going to be doing elective surgeries there, and we can do emergency surgeries as well,” he said.

The facility includes 75 inpatient beds, an emergency department, a medical imaging unit with a CT scanner, a modern pharmacy, a dialysis unit, an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and a maternal care unit.

According to Dr. Anthony, the region previously suffered from limited infrastructure and inadequate equipment, but this hospital marks a new chapter for health service delivery in Region Five.
Additionally, four new health centres have been constructed and fully equipped in the region, accompanied by public health programmes targetting chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.

The minister also stressed the importance of compassionate care, calling on healthcare workers to treat patients with empathy and understanding.
“While we have built a beautiful infrastructure, this institution is only going to be as strong and as good as the staff who are behind the service,” he said.
“People are coming when they are the most vulnerable, and we want to ensure that when people come to us, that we treat them with compassion and we treat them with empathy, so that we are contributing to them getting here faster,” he added.

The commissioning of the Bath Regional Hospital is a significant milestone in the government’s broader plan to build a healthier, more resilient Guyana, with a strong emphasis on accessibility, community well-being, and quality of care.
The Bath Regional Hospital is the third of six new health facilities that have been commissioned in a wider programme that is being pursued by the Government of Guyana to improve healthcare. The Enmore and Diamond regional hospitals were recently commissioned.
The facilities were constructed under a partnership with China’s Sinopharm International and CAMCE.