Govt committed to delivering world-class healthcare to all Guyanese – President Ali

His Excellency President Dr Irfaan Ali stated that the Government would continue to implement strategies, foster partnerships, advance technology, and develop the country’s human resource capacity to “deliver world-class health services to every citizen of this country.”

At the launch of the Universal Health Voucher at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre on Saturday, the President explained that the Government is strengthening systems to improve the population’s health.

He highlighted the “great partnerships” that the Guyanese Government, through the Ministry of Health, has established with “some of the most significant global partners”. These partnerships, the President noted, were not easily achieved but required hard work, strong leadership, strategic foreign policy, and the optimal use of time.

He described the launch as a testament to “a results-oriented Government and a results-oriented system that seeks to calibrate the best available skills with our resources to achieve the best possible outcomes. I want to emphasise that our health foreign policy has brought tremendous goodwill and results for our country.”

The President announced that the Government would soon launch a massive national programme, in collaboration with one of its international partners and Men on Mission (MoM), to test men nationwide for prostate cancer.

“Early detection gives you a better chance of achieving the best outcome, and we are already working. We spent an entire day with a team at Northwell, strategising to address prostate, breast, and colon cancers. We are mapping a strategic, early detection approach for national screening and treatment,” he said.

In addition to building partnerships, President Ali reminded that his Government is investing in equipment, technology, and tools.

He noted that Government incentives have resulted in increased private sector investment in healthcare, improving service levels and enhancing the environment in which medical services are delivered.

“We are continuing to encourage this investment so that our health ecosystem, both public and private, can work seamlessly to deliver the best healthcare to our people. This healthcare system will not only benefit Guyanese. Across CARICOM, many of our brothers and sisters are already benefiting from our healthcare facilities.” The President also explained that the Government is working with leading providers of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics in the healthcare sector to further train doctors to specialise in AI-guided surgical treatments.

At Saturday’s voucher launch, the President said the initiative would provide citizens with a $10,000 voucher, along with discounts ranging from 40% to 70% on medical tests exceeding the voucher’s value.

“This is an amazing future for the children of this country to inherit. We are committed to building a world-class healthcare system and delivering world-class health services to every citizen,” he said.

The programme entails an investment of over $5bn in the healthcare system, targeting more than 500,000 citizens nationwide. The vouchers will be accepted at all private and public health facilities across the country.

President Ali also emphasised that his Government will shift the healthcare sector from a treatment-based model to a preventative care approach, utilising data to drive this transformation.

“The healthcare industry is moving globally from a treatment-based approach to preventative care. This shift focuses on early detection, vaccination programmes, lifestyle changes, and policy interventions—all of which we aim to implement. None of this can be achieved without data, as it forms the foundation for detection, vaccination, education, and policy-making. Through this, we are fortifying our healthcare system.”