Massive recruitment drives underway for persons to work in healthcare sector

As the Government of Guyana advances its healthcare sector expansion, approximately 8,000 workers will be recruited to fill essential roles across hospitals and medical facilities.
Vice President (VP) Bharrat Jagdeo highlighted that this initiative is not merely about constructing new hospitals at Lima, Region Two; De Kinderen, Region Three; Diamond and Enmore, Region Four; Bath, Region Five and Skeldon, Region Six, but about revolutionising the healthcare system to deliver world-class services to every citizen.
According to the VP, the recruitment drive is already underway, and it’s massive.
“So, we have started recruiting already non-medical people and medical people. We may need about, I used to say 6,000 – we may need 8,000 new people to work in healthcare delivery. From porters, cleaners, people to do laundry in the hospitals…all the services. Landscaping in the yards of the hospital, keeping the compound clean, security, etc. Large numbers of people in all of these areas,” Dr Jagdeo said.
If the local workforce is not sufficient, the Government is prepared to recruit specialists from around the globe, to ensure that all hospitals are fully staffed with qualified professionals.

“Then training of more nurses and other personnel, but also recruiting people from abroad. So we believe our package is starting to be competitive, where we can recruit people and bring them in, even temporarily, until our people can be trained. But we may not still get our Guyanese alone. So, we may have to recruit from around the world to bring people to work here. We’re looking for specialists to run all of these hospitals and more doctors. …whilst we’re training a lot of our people to specialise now,” the Vice President said.
Further, the Government is also focusing on improving emergency care across the country. A major upgrade is underway to ensure that heart attack and trauma patients receive rapid emergency care. New ambulance services are being rolled out, and paramedics are undergoing specialised training to handle emergencies more efficiently.
Dr Jagdeo explained that hospital placement across the country is being strategically planned to ensure that no one is too far from life-saving treatment.
“We have some people now being trained in Northwell, to come back and expand emergency care. So, if you get a heart attack or you need emergency care, you don’t have to drive from Linden or from the highway to come all the way to Georgetown. The Diamond Hospital would be maybe within 30 minutes away from you. You can get emergency care there too. A lot of the different components are being worked on to deliver that vision of world class health care,” he added.
Significant investments are being made in healthcare infrastructure, including the construction of new hospitals, rehabilitation of existing facilities, and the establishment of state-of-the-art polyclinics. These efforts are designed to ensure that all Guyanese, regardless of where they live, will have access to high-quality medical care.
In addition to new facilities, the Government is enlisting the help of top-tier medical institutions, such as Mount Sinai and Northwell Health, which will provide management support for the hospitals. These United States (US) giants are not only assisting in the operational management of hospitals but are also tasked with training local personnel to deliver healthcare at the highest standards.