GUYANA is positioning itself to become a regional producer of essential medical fluids, including saline and peritoneal fluids, as part of a broader strategy to transform the country’s health sector.
This was revealed by President Dr. Irfaan Ali during his address at the opening of the Bath Regional Hospital on Wednesday, who disclosed that the government has issued a challenge to the private sector to take up this opportunity with a potential investment of US$15–20 million.
“We are not stopping only at care delivery we have thrown out a challenge to the private sector that with an investment between $15 to $20 million we can establish a facility in Guyana for all the fluids including the peritoneal fluids and what we commonly call saline peritoneal fluids so that we can produce it right here in Guyana or here and the rest of the Caribbean.”
The initiative is part of a sweeping effort by the government to go beyond improving healthcare access.
“We’re not tinkering on the edges of development. We’re talking real transformation. The building out of a biopharma industry.”
The president also talked up the potential for a syringe plant that could service the entire (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) CELAC region, underscoring Guyana’s ambitions to become a major player in regional healthcare supply chains.
“That is what we’re talking about. That is what we’ll be co-investing in with the private sector, so that not only are we providing health care, but we are providing first-world opportunities for our human resources in Guyana.”
President Ali also spoke strongly about ensuring a consistent supply of drugs and medical items across the country.
He affirmed the government’s resolve to end shortages and make healthcare investments tangible and effective, noting that the Materials Management Unit (MMU) at the Ministry of Health must be fully digitised by the end of 2025 to ensure proper procurement, storage, and distribution of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment across the country.
“The government is spending on drugs and medical supplies. I don’t want to hear that it’s not available. The days of that is coming to an end and coming to an end quickly. We are making the investments, and the people must enjoy the investment every day of the year,” President Ali said
Earlier this year, Guyana signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the European Union (EU) and other partners, to build upon an existing partnership to move Guyana closer to becoming a hub for the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals and vaccines.
Guyana has been in talks with the EU for quite some time in relation to facilitating possible pharmaceutical production here.
In 2023, the EU Ambassador to Guyana, Rene Van Nes, told the Guyana Chronicle that they have experts in the field that came to Guyana to look at the possibilities of creating production facilities in the pharmaceutical sector.
The following year, Van Nes told local journalists that the EU will assist Guyana and Barbados to establish the regulation needed to manufacture pharmaceuticals.
Last month, a high-level Health and Pharmaceutical Investment Mission from the European Union was in the country for a three-day forum where they met with local partners to explore investment and collaboration opportunities.