Govt to roll out drone technology, develop & expand healthcare programmes

President Ali announced the rollout of a nationwide drone-based blood delivery system that will significantly enhance emergency medical response across Guyana. The initiative, he said, will be implemented at scale within six months.
Speaking at the commissioning of the Number 75 Village Regional Hospital, he said that the system is designed to rapidly transport blood and other urgent medical supplies to hospitals, especially in remote and hinterland regions, reducing critical delays that often cost lives.
“We are deploying drones that will work in full co-ordination with our national blood bank. This means if a patient in Port Kaituma, Lethem, or Crabwood Creek needs emergency blood, it can be delivered in record time using drone technology.”
The project forms part of a larger digital transformation of the healthcare sector. It complements the implementation of electronic health records, AI-assisted diagnostics, and the expansion of telemedicine to 200 remote sites.
The innovative programme is set to be one of the first of its kind in the Caribbean and puts Guyana at the forefront of tech-integrated healthcare in the region.
Meanwhile, the Government also plans to expand its maternal reproductive services for children and school health and immunisation programmes, which will now include protecting girls from cervical cancer caused by HPV.
“For persons who have lost limbs, we have already provided 105 prosthetics in the last week alone. For the elderly, we are developing home-based healthcare services using telemedicine and virtual clinics. Mobile health units will reach rural areas for screening and chronic disease care,” the President pointed out in his improved healthcare plan.
He said too that the Government does not intend to work alone and is not in competition with the private sector in the informative programme.
“We must build strong partnerships that multiply our reach and strengthen our capacity. We know that the Government alone cannot carry the weight. That is why we are deepening partnerships with private healthcare providers in lab services, pharmaceuticals, dialysis surgeries, and organ transplants. In healthcare, competition is not the goal. Collaboration is. When the public and private sectors work together, the patient wins.”
“Concrete and steel alone do not save lives. Hospitals are only as good as the people who run them.
That is why we are investing in our healthcare workforce. Our doctors, nurses, specialists, and technicians, over the next five years, will recruit and train thousands, including at least 6000 nurses,” the President further declared.
He said that the University of Guyana’s medical programme will be expanded, and it will be collaborating with private medical schools and opening new nursing schools in Berbice and the Essequibo.
Ail said the local health care system is being geared to meet the needs of Caricom, as he invited those in the diaspora to take advantage of it when home on holiday.