Guyana inks pact with Northwell Health to manage emergency medical services

The Guyana Government is forging ahead with plans to streamline the country’s emergency medical services and has signed an agreement with New York-based Northwell Health to roll out the initiative.

President Dr Irfaan Ali made this announcement on Tuesday evening while addressing members of the Guyanese Diaspora at a reception held at Russo’s on the Bay in Queens. The Guyanese leader is currently leading a delegation at the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
“Only today [Tuesday], we signed another agreement with Northwell, who will be implementing our emergency services and emergency medical services in Guyana, and they will be managing that service whilst we build the capacity over the next three years,” President Ali said on Tuesday evening.
This announcement comes on the heels of the Head of State meeting with a team from Northwell Health led by Vice President and Founding Director of Northwell Health’s Centre for Global Health, Dr Eric Cioè-Peña, earlier this month.
During the engagement in Georgetown, the discussions focused on the implementation of the National Emergency Medicine Authority and on working in collaboration with ExxonMobil to establish a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Centre in Guyana.
President Ali had previously revealed plans for a countrywide revamp of the emergency healthcare systems. In fact, the Government is currently working towards the establishment of a national ambulance authority that will oversee the co-ordination to cover emergency dispatch via land, sea and air.
That authority is likely to be set up at the Infectious Diseases Hospital, formerly the Oceanview Hotel.
The Government is also looking at establishing a central telemedicine centre at the Oceanview facility. The telemedicine programme is one of the initiatives that Guyana has been collaborating with Northwell Health, which is a non-profit integrated healthcare service that is considered New York’s largest healthcare provider, on to modernise the local healthcare sector.
Back in 2022, Guyana inked a five-year medical partnership with Northwell to, among other things, enhance care, train physicians, address health disparities, assess hinterland regions, and strengthen the secondary-care system as well as emergency medical services. Since then, the telemedicine programme has been expanded and now operates across 81 sites, thus enabling two-way, real-time communication between patients and healthcare providers in different locations, supported by audio-visual technology and integrated medical devices. The initiative targets hinterland and riverine communities, aiming to improve patient outcomes and emergency response capabilities.
Northwell Health is among several United States-based medical institutions that the Guyana Government has been collaborating with, another being Mount Sinai Hospital, to enhance the delivery of its healthcare services.

Enhance healthcare
According to President Ali during Tuesday’s reception, these plans to enhance healthcare delivery are not just geared towards citizens living in Guyana but those in the diaspora as well.
“I know one of your greatest concerns is healthcare. Some of you worry, if I visit and a medical emergency arises, will I receive the care I deserve? … Here’s my assurance: we are building a world-class healthcare system,” he stated.
Only recently, six new state-of-the-art regional hospitals were built out across Guyana at Diamond, Enmore, Bath, Number 75 Village, De Kinderen, and Lima as part of efforts to deliver high-quality healthcare to citizens. Additionally, all healthcare facilities across all 10 regions are being upgraded.
“No Guyanese, whether at home or visiting, should ever have to question the quality of healthcare they receive… We are building a healthcare sector and an education sector for all of you to be a part of so that we’ll be able to take care of you with the same care that you can have over here,” the Guyanese leader posited.
In fact, to ensure this happens, President Ali has been engaging a number of other private medical institutions in the US that have all expressed interest in establishing a presence in Guyana.
“Only today [Tuesday], we had a series of meetings with some of your best nursing schools, the top 10 medical schools, the top 10 medical universities, and one of the best AI companies and data centres – all ready to make that journey in establishing their footprint in Guyana.”
“A big part of this is for your children because we know many of your children are trying to get into those schools, but they have number constraints. We’re going to give your children the opportunity of not missing out right in Guyana,” the Head of State noted during the reception.