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March 27, 2026
A National Initiative to Strengthen Hospital Quality and Patient Safety has been launched as focus shifts from expanding access to healthcare to improving the quality and consistency of care nationwide.
The programme was officially launched on Thursday at the Ministry of Health’s head office, in partnership with the Mount Sinai Health System in New York.
Executive Director of the Guyana–Mount Sinai collaboration, Dr Rachel Vreeman, said the initiative represents a significant milestone in strengthening healthcare systems nationwide.
“This is such an exciting initiative… thinking about the national hospital quality and what Guyana is doing to ensure that each region has a hospital facility that can provide a top quality level of care,” she said.
She added that the programme introduces a new approach to healthcare delivery, focused on continuous improvement and ensuring patients receive reliable care regardless of where they live.
The health system has expanded rapidly in recent years, with more than 400 facilities now in operation and thousands of additional healthcare workers added. However, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony said the next phase must focus on improving outcomes.
“While we’ve been doing a lot of talking, this workshop is intended for us to start the implementation process, we are moving away from just talk to getting into action,” he said.
The initiative will introduce national standards, monitoring systems, and new governance structures to oversee quality across hospitals, including the establishment of quality improvement councils at national, regional, and institutional levels.
Key priorities include improving patient safety, ensuring adherence to treatment guidelines, reducing waiting times, and increasing efficiency in service delivery. Dr Anthony said reducing harm to patients will be a central focus, noting that stronger systems are needed to prevent avoidable mistakes.
The programme will also support the rollout of electronic health records and other digital tools to improve accountability and streamline care. Authorities say these systems will help standardise services and ensure better tracking of patient outcomes.
Efforts will be made to ensure that all hospitals, regardless of location, deliver the same standard of care, with uniform protocols and improved staff compliance.
The Ministry of Health said the initiative is part of a long-term transformation plan, with measurable improvements expected over time as systems are implemented and refined.
