Guyana-born Canadian healthcare professional to spearhead international team
By Frederick Halley
SEVERAL internationally renowned healthcare and wellness professionals, along with Guyanese and CARICOM VIPs, will converge at Cara Lodge in Guyana on 12 November to explore opportunities to develop Guyana as a destination for wellness tourism, integrative medicine, and health-related travel.
The symposium is the brainchild of Guyana-born Canadian citizen Dr Stanley Ngui, who told the Sunday Pepperpot that he is spearheading the Tourism Awareness Month activity, termed the Guyana Wellness Tourism Symposium.
Among the internationally recognised speakers expected to participate are:
- Dame Dr Sheila Mackenzie, President, World Organization of Natural Medicine
- Sir Dr Gerald Smith, Integrative Medicine Doctor
- Lori Smith, Director of International Strategy & Development
- Menakshi Babulall, Vaksana Eco-Retreat, Essequibo
The event is expected to highlight the growing global interest in wellness tourism and the potential for Guyana to develop new opportunities at the intersection of tourism, healthcare, wellness and international collaboration.
Speakers are expected to explore Guyana’s potential to become a leading international destination for wellness tourism, integrating natural and integrative medicine, innovative healing technologies, traditional knowledge, nature-based therapies and whole-person wellness.
Presenters are also expected to address the development of eco-lodges and wellness resorts; medical-wellness retreats; international partnerships; sustainable tourism; workforce developmen; research; humanitarian outreach and Guyana’s opportunity to establish itself as a premier wellness destination for CARICOM, South America and the global community.
As a member of the Guyanese diaspora, Dr Ngui has spent decades working in Qigong, integrative medicine and wellness and has developed programmes that combine traditional health practices with contemporary approaches to healthcare.
The symposium will also provide an opportunity for members of the Guyanese diaspora, local healthcare professionals, tourism stakeholders, and international guests to discuss ways to contribute to Guyana’s emerging wellness tourism sector.
With the participation of Guyanese and CARICOM VIPs, the 12 November symposium is expected to serve as an important platform for dialogue, networking and the development of future wellness initiatives in Guyana.
Dr Ngui pointed out, “Guyana does not need to reproduce the wellness model of another country. Its greatest opportunity may lie in developing something distinctly its own.” He disclosed that Guyana offers an unusual combination of rainforest and biodiversity; rivers and expansive natural environments; Indigenous and cultural heritage; ecotourism; English-speaking accessibility; growing international visibility and a developing hospitality and tourism economy. These attributes create possibilities for wellness travel that go well beyond the conventional resort-spa model.
THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY
Wellness tourism, Dr Ngui pointed out, “could potentially touch numerous parts of Guyana’s economy: hotels and eco-lodges; transportation; restaurants; tour operators; health practitioners; professional education; wellness businesses; community enterprises; retreat development; the oil sector; investment and real estate and specialised travel services.
“This is why Guyana wellness tourism should be viewed not simply as a health project but also as an economic-development and tourism opportunity with health at its centre. It is an effort to develop an interconnected wellness-tourism ecosystem in Guyana. The November 2026 symposium and outreach programmes are early components of that effort.”
Professor Ngui, who hails from Sisters Village, West Bank Demerara, migrated to Canada in 1971. He is an adviser to the World Natural Medicine Organization (WONM), where he is the Dean of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Qigong. As a professor at large for WONM–University of Humanitarian Medicine Federation (WONM-UHMF), he has co-authored the internationally recognised book, Sleep Your Way to Wellness.
Ngui is the founder of the NGUI MATRIX System, which he teaches internationally. The NGUI MATRIX teachings are certification credits at WONM and UHMF. He is also the Chief Integrative Medicine Doctor at the NGUISTYLE Integrative Medicine Clinic Inc.
A former principal of the Academy of Acupuncture and the president of Beyond Abilities Centre, a charitable organisation, Ngui is a member of the 23rd generation of the Ngui family and of the North American Martial Arts Hall of Fame.
Ngui is also a knight in the Sovereign Orthodox Order of the Knights Hospitaller of St John. As a clinician for over 40 years, he has helped thousands of patients with a wide range of health issues. He has been a speaker on radio and television shows, both nationally and internationally. As a Doctor of Humanitarian Science, he supports Clinics for Humanity.
In 2006, Ngui was recognised for his contributions to the martial arts community and was inducted into the North American Martial Arts Hall of Fame. As a Grandmaster in the art of Qigong, he founded the Academy for Chi Kung Studies and became the founding director of the Kung Fu Federation in Toronto, Canada.
