Mount Sinai to help set up world-class oncology centre in Guyana – Pres Ali

– as sod-turned for new $11.4B West Demerara Regional Hospital

With support from the United States-based Mount Sinai Health System, Guyana will commence work this year to establish a modern oncology centre here to enhance cancer treatment and care.
This is according to President Dr Irfaan Ali at the sod-turning ceremony for the new $11.4 billion West Demerara Regional Hospital on Friday afternoon.
During his remarks, the Head of Statement disclosed that US energy major, Hess Corporation – one of the partners operating in the oil-rich Stabroek Block offshore Guyana, has agreed to continue financing Guyana’s partnership with Mount Sinai for another three years.
This, he pointed out, paves the way for continued collaboration, which will see the New York-based health institution assisting Guyana to set up its oncology centre here.
“They will be coming in to help us in the building out of a modern oncology centre that will treat cancer. We’re not only looking at diagnostic but building facilities for treatment,” he explained.

An oncology centre is a medical facility that specialises in the diagnosis, treatment and research of cancer. Construction of the oncology centre in Guyana will start this year, and it is slated to be completed by 2027.
In addition to the oncology facility, President Ali also disclosed that Guyana is also in discussion with Mount Sinai on rehabilitative care.
“Many times, beds are occupied in hospitals, space is occupied whereby the patients do not necessarily need to be in the hospital but require rehabilitative care. For the ordinary person, that is managing a stroke patient, for example…”
“And very soon in April, a team is coming down from Mount Sinai to discuss with us, a modular manner in which we can build up our rehabilitative care centres across the country. So, we are not sleeping. We’re addressing healthcare in a holistic way,” the Guyanese leader noted.

These are part of efforts by the Guyana Government to modernise and digitize healthcare delivery in Guyana. Since 2020, the Ali-led Administration has invested billions of dollars to build the healthcare infrastructure across the country.
The most recent is the new West Demerara Regional Hospital, which is being constructed to the tune of more than $11.4 billion, and will be completed in 2028.
The new hospital will have more than 150 beds, four operating theatres, in-patient and out-patient facilities, an Accident and Emergency (A&E), an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), a general ward and a paediatric ward, among others.
Dermatology, ophthalmology, internal medicine, dialysis, gynaecology, ultrasound, cardiology, and digital imaging such as MRI, CT scan, angiography and mammography are among the vast services that will be available.
“We have to have world-class infrastructure, and today, what you’re seeing is another representation of that world-class infrastructure that we’re building to support the healthcare system. Secondly, we have to have world-class equipment and diagnostic facilities, and we’re building in all of these [new] facilities and other facilities across the country, world-class diagnostic systems and equipment to support that,” President Ali said at Friday’s sod-turning ceremony.
The Head of State also announced plans to integrate health management and patient management systems from the various health centres and hospitals across Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) to enhance healthcare delivery to citizens.
“What we’re going to develop in the region here now is an integrated health management and patient management system through digital health and digitization. So, at this [new] hospital, for example, they will have a control room that integrates all the health centres, the health posts and the hospitals on a common platform, and all the doctors will be available on that platform.”
“But more importantly, that platform would be linked to the national platform in Georgetown and all the other regions. And then guess what? We’ve already negotiated for this platform to be integrated into [US-based healthcare provider] Northwell platform, Mount Sinai platform, and now some of the best providers in India. That is what we’re doing so that our doctors will have speciality services to support their decision-making. We will be integrated into the global healthcare system, and we’ll be able to pool all our medical talent on one platform,” President Ali stated.
According to the Head of State, this platform will be available for both the private and public health sectors 24/7.