—Health Minister says innovative model drawing regional interest

CLOSE to 800 nurses are expected to graduate by June this year, almost four times the country’s traditional annual output, as a result of the hybrid nursing programme developed in partnership with international agencies, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony has disclosed.
Dr Anthony made the announcement during the final day of consideration of the estimates and expenditure for Budget 2026, telling the Committee of Supply that the expanded output represents a major milestone in strengthening Guyana’s healthcare workforce.
“We’ll have by June of this year, the first batch of close to 800 registered nurses that will be graduating,” the minister said.
He explained that the innovative model has been working “really well” and the influx of new graduates will provide a significant boost to service delivery across the public health system.
“So, we expect that this year alone, we have for different categories of training that we’re doing, not only nursing, but different categories of training, close to 5,000 people who would be coming off different programmes, and we’ll have to bring them into the system,” Dr Anthony added.
Previously, the country’s nursing-training capacity was limited to the Linden, Georgetown and New Amsterdam nursing schools, which together could accommodate only about 200 trainees annually. To address the growing demand for healthcare professionals, the government developed the hybrid nursing programme in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO).
Under this arrangement, US$1 million was channelled through the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to the University of São Paulo, whose nursing faculty worked alongside Guyanese educators to design a comprehensive three-year curriculum. Dr Anthony noted that 30 local tutors were trained in Brazil’s teaching methodologies before returning to implement the programme locally.
“So, we have designed an entire curriculum—three years of this nursing programme, and we then decide to partner with Coursera. So, this content is on the Coursera platform,” he said.
The theoretical component of the programme is delivered online through Coursera, while practical training is conducted at simulation centres established across the country, enabling a blended learning approach that expands access without compromising clinical competence.
The minister further revealed that the programme has begun attracting interest from regional counterparts, with several Caribbean countries seeking to participate.
“Very soon, we’ll be signing some agreements where we will allow some of the other Caribbean countries to join this online nursing school that we have,” he disclosed.
Dr Anthony also indicated that with several new hospitals now commissioned nationwide, plans are advancing to have those facilities formally designated as teaching hospitals. This move will integrate clinical training directly into service-delivery settings and expand opportunities for hands-on learning.
To support this expansion, two new training facilities are nearing completion: one at the Suddie Hospital compound and another at the old New Amsterdam Hospital compound.
“We have two new nursing schools or training schools, for that matter, that we’ll be completing. One is at the Suddie Hospital compound, and one is in the old New Amsterdam Hospital compound,” he stated.
While these facilities will strengthen nursing education, the minister emphasised that their mandate will be broader, accommodating multiple programmes offered through the Health Sciences Division, which currently runs about 20 courses. The strategy is to decentralise training opportunities, so that more students can access programmes within their regions instead of relocating to Georgetown.
In addition, the ministry is working with the University of Guyana to extend the reach of its medical school into the regions, allowing students to complete much of their academic and clinical training closer to home, with periodic attendance at the main campus as required.
Dr Anthony said this approach is intended to ensure that “we’ll get more people in the regions properly trained,” while simultaneously building a more equitable and resilient health workforce.
He further noted that new hospitals commissioned this year are being outfitted with additional classroom spaces to support training activities. This will complement the traditional teaching capacity centred at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
“Very soon, we will authorise that the six new hospitals would all become teaching hospitals, so we’ll make the relevant legal amendment so that that can happen,” the minister said.