PRESIDENT Dr. Irfaan Ali has announced that the University of Guyana will soon have its School of Medicine and the full suite of engineering programmes fully operational at the Tain Campus in Berbice; this, he said, is a major expansion of tertiary education and specialised training in Region Six.
The Head of State made the disclosure while addressing the commissioning ceremony of the Guyana Technical Training College Inc. at Port Mourant at the weekend, where he outlined a broader strategy to decentralise higher education and strengthen the country’s health and technical workforce.
“The University of Guyana must ensure that all engineering courses are offered here in Berbice. We have all of the facilities here now. And the School of Medicine must be fully operational here in Berbice,” he said, adding:
“And if it is not fully operational, then I have serious difficulty with the Dean of Faculty of Engineering at the University of Guyana and all those who are given that mandate, because I said I want it to be fully operational here in Berbice.”
He noted that the nursing school being developed in Region Six is expected to train thousands of residents in nursing and patient care, significantly boosting local capacity in the health sector. Alongside this, all engineering courses offered by the University of Guyana are to be delivered in Berbice, supported by the facilities already established at the Tain Campus.
The President further indicated that the School of Medicine is mandated to be fully operational in Berbice, reinforcing the government’s push to ensure equitable access to medical education outside the capital. This expansion is expected to align closely with upcoming healthcare infrastructure projects in the region.
Central to this vision is the level five hospital currently under construction in New Amsterdam, which is slated to function as a teaching and research institution. The facility is also being designed as a specialised centre for cardiac services, positioning it as a regional hub for advanced medical care and clinical training.
“I’ve also asked that the next hospital is the level five hospital that is being built in New Amsterdam, that is going to be a teaching hospital. So very much different from a normal hospital. It will be a teaching hospital and a hospital that will be specialized in research, and cardiac services, it will be the Cardiac Center for the whole region,” he said.
In addition to education and infrastructure development, the President highlighted plans for an intensive public health outreach campaign to be launched in the coming weeks. The initiative will involve direct engagement in communities across the region, with religious leaders playing a key role, particularly in rural areas, as part of efforts to address pressing health challenges.
Together, these measures form part of a wider national drive to modernise Guyana’s education and healthcare systems, build skilled human capital, and ensure that opportunities for advanced training and services are accessible across all regions of the country.
