Health workforce strengthened with 1st cohort of 29 Medexes

…34 lab techs, 60 pharmacy assistants, and 15 rehabilitation assistants also trained

A milestone in healthcare has been marked with the training and graduation of the first cohort of 29 Medex, following four years of intensive study.
The graduates are part of a group of 140 clinical and technical professionals who completed the Health Ministry’s Clinical and Technical Training Programme, an initiative aimed at strengthening human resources in the health sector and expanding access to quality care nationwide.
Alongside the 29 Medex, the graduating class includes 34 medical laboratory technicians who underwent one year of training, 60 pharmacy assistants who trained for nine months, and 15 rehabilitation assistants who also completed one year of training.

Medex training is crucial for Guyana’s healthcare system, particularly in providing primary care, especially in remote and underserved areas. Medexes, or Medical Extension Officers, are mid-level healthcare professionals trained to provide a wide range of services, including health promotion, disease prevention, and basic medical care. Their training equips them to manage common ailments, identify those requiring referral, and even perform deliveries in some cases.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony on Wednesday, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony urged the new healthcare workers to adhere to national guidelines and embrace the sector’s ongoing transformation. Anthony revealed that Guyana has secured US$15 million from the Pandemic Fund and an additional US$7 million from the World Bank to completely upgrade laboratory services. This funding will support the creation of a Level Three national laboratory capable of handling and sequencing various pathogens, as well as the modernisation of regional hospital laboratories to perform over 150 types of tests.
The Minister also highlighted the growing role of telemedicine, which currently operates at 81 sites nationwide, enabling remote consultations with doctors and specialists. Plans are in place to extend telemedicine access to every health centre and even some health posts, and expansion will require human resources.
“I’m happy that this batch also would have interacted with our telemedicine system. And this is one way in which you would be able to work with some of the doctors or some of the consultants so that you’d be able to consult your patient and make a better diagnosis… And over the next couple of years, we want to ensure that every health centre, and in some cases, health post, that we’ll be able to put in telemedicine to help to guide you if you need such guidance.”
“So, you will have to be constantly learning and updating yourself, because as we improve the system, there are lots of things that you will need to do,” the Minister said.
Infrastructure upgrades are also underway across the country, with new hospitals under construction in Mabaruma, Region One (Barima-Waini); Kato, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni); and Lethem, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), along with major upgrades to facilities in Bartica. These hospitals will be equipped with laboratories, CT scanners, x-ray machines, and specialised rooms for rehabilitation services such as speech therapy and audiology.
With this in mind, Anthony called on the graduates to take full advantage of these improved facilities and to continually update their skills to meet the demands of a modern, integrated healthcare system.
“So, all of this, as we improve it, you will be the ones who we’ll call upon to be very integrated into the delivery of care at these facilities. We are also, in terms of the rehab assistance, again, you will have a lot of opportunities because in these new institutions, they’ll have rooms that can deal with speech therapy, rooms that can deal with audiology, and a whole host of other functions, so that, again, you’ll be able to practise the skills that we are teaching you in a good environment,” he added.