…as 128 patient care assistants graduate with 100% pass rate
Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony has said that the Government is fully committed to transforming Guyana’s healthcare system into a world-class model, insisting that the efforts underway are not mere promises but part of an aggressive, results-driven national agenda. This commitment was echoed at the graduation ceremony for 128 Patient Care Assistants (PCAs), who completed a rigorous four-month training programme with a remarkable 100 per cent pass rate, setting a new benchmark for healthcare training in the country. 
The PCA training, which included crucial competencies such as vital signs monitoring, patient assessment, emergency response, basic psychology, and understanding elderly care, saw significant participation from Regions Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) and Four (Demerara-Mahaica) with a cohort of 34 and 94 respectively. In fact, for the first time, Region Three hosted its own PCA training programme, delivered entirely by local lecturers at the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH) compound. The graduates from that region completed their training between October 2024 and February 2025, while the remainder from Region Four completed training at the Health Sciences Education facility in Kingston from February to May 2025. As a result, these patient care assistants are now equipped to be essential frontline workers, delivering empathetic and respectful care under the supervision of registered nurses and medical professionals.
In his speech at the graduation ceremony, Anthony made it unequivocally clear to the graduates that their journey has only just begun, strongly encouraging them to further their studies in the public health system. With six new regional hospitals already constructed and six more currently under development, including a state-of-the-art maternal and child hospital at Ogle and a new West Demerara Hospital. Dr Anthony explained that it is the nurses and doctors who will play a pivotal role in ensuring Guyana achieves world-class healthcare, a transformational initiative he has encouraged the new Patient Care Assistants to support.
“So, we want a system where people can come to our hospital and be able to get world-class service. So, this thing that we’re talking about, world-class service, we’re not paying lip service. We’re actually working to deliver that. And for us to be able to do that, we need everybody to be constantly in training so that you can provide the best care possible,” the Minister said.
Patient Care Assistants underwent two months of intensive classroom instruction followed by two months of hands-on clinical rotations across major medical institutions—including Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC), Woodlands Hospital, WDRH and St Joseph University Hospital. Clinical training exposed students to real-life care across male and female medical wards, surgical units, pediatrics and geriatrics. Considering the experience gained, the Minister unveiled a comprehensive set of career progression pathways, enabling PCAs to advance into Registered Nursing, specialised nursing disciplines and even further studies through online global platforms.
“It’s very important if you want to upskill yourself. We need a skilled workforce. Because medicine is one of those areas where you have to get a lot of skilled people. We started; we built six new hospitals. But we haven’t stopped there. Right now, while we’ll be opening up these six hospitals this year, we have another six that is currently under construction. You have one at Walden, which will be a mother and child hospital”.
“I want you to think about five years from now, where are you going to be in this health system? Where are you going to be? Are you going to be a Registered Nurse that will be working in one of the departments? Right? You’ve got to see yourself into the future, where you are going to be in this system. And you have to work to achieve that, because these things don’t come by accident. You have to work and make sure you put in the effort and then you’ll get there,” he encouraged.
