Guyana invests in digital skills as healthcare moves toward AI and data-driven systems

A scene from the launch of the training today

Guyana has launched its first Digital Health Training Programme as part of efforts to modernise the country’s healthcare system.

The initiative, introduced on Tuesday by the Ministry of Health in partnership with Mount Sinai’s Digital Training Institute, aims to train 250 students from all 10 administrative regions.

The trainees will support the implementation and long-term operation of digital health systems and will receive instruction in user support, health information technology, data science and digital systems management.

Dr. Rachel Vreeman, Executive Director of the Mount Sinai–Guyana Health Initiative, said the programme represents a “bold, transformative step” in shaping the future of healthcare delivery.

“This is part of how every Guyanese will gain access to modern, high quality services, and this is how Guyana will deliver the future of healthcare– with innovation, skill and excellence at every level of the healthcare system,” she said.

She added that Guyana is leading the way in building a health information workforce and setting a standard for others to follow.

Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony said the country must digitalise its system to achieve a modern healthcare service, noting that the Ministry manages nearly 450 facilities nationwide.

“Through this initiative, we are launching a very innovative programme. Our vision here in the Ministry is to make sure that we build a system where all our health care facilities would be connected. It would be patient-centered, equitable, and driven by data,” he said.

“But to do that, we have to make sure that we are in every region in Guyana, and every one of our facilities would be connected,” he added.

The minister also noted that the ministry will soon launch an electronic appointment system and highlighted progress in radiology.

“As we digitalise x-rays across this country, because we have moved away from analog x-rays to now using purely digital x-rays, we are now able to bring all these into one point, and hopefully we’ll be able to get AI into the application, and then optimize the time of the radiologist. I think as we move in these directions, we really need to have the services of a trained workforce,” Anthony said.

The Greater Guyana Initiative will fund the three-year training programme. Alistair Routledge, President of ExxonMobil Guyana Limited, said the effort will strengthen national healthcare delivery by enabling faster and more accurate data to support safer clinical decisions.