The government’s vision of delivering world-class healthcare beyond Georgetown is steadily becoming a reality, as significant investments continue to transform regional health facilities across the country.
This was underscored on Tuesday during the handing-over and commissioning ceremony of a modern digital X-ray machine at the Oscar Joseph District Hospital in Charity, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) where Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony highlighted the steady decentralisation of healthcare services and the expansion of advanced diagnostic and surgical capabilities along the Essequibo Coast.
Dr Anthony noted that regional hospitals have evolved far beyond their former role as basic drugstore facilities, with sustained investments now ensuring that critical diagnostic services such as digital x-rays, ultrasound, mammography and CT scans are becoming accessible across multiple regions.
“We should have these facilities across every region. So think about moving from when it was just a drugstore hospital to now decentralising it in these different regions, and this year we’ll continue that process and we’ll continue until we have mammography in every region,” the Health Minister stated.
He explained that while digital x-ray and mammography services are often considered sufficient at regional hospitals, the government has gone further to strengthen diagnostic capacity. According to Dr Anthony, the recent opening of the Lima Hospital marked a major milestone, with the addition of another digital x-ray, multiple ultrasound machines, and plans to introduce mammography later this year.
“For the first time on this coast, you also have a CT scan. So people now don’t have to go to Georgetown to get a CT scan. You can get them right here, and that has made a big improvement in the services that you’re able to offer,” he said.
Dr Anthony explained that the availability of advanced diagnostic imaging directly impacts the quality of surgical care, as accurate imaging allows doctors to make precise diagnoses before entering the operating theatre.
Turning his attention to the newly commissioned equipment at Oscar Joseph Hospital, the Minister highlighted that the digital X-ray machine is a General Electric (GE) unit—one of the top global brands—capable of producing highly accurate images while using significantly less radiation than older analogue machines.
Dr Anthony further revealed that the Ministry is now integrating artificial intelligence into diagnostic services, allowing X-rays to be analysed within seconds.
“We are finally working with an AI system. When the x-ray is generated, it goes seamlessly to the system, and in 17 seconds it decides whether this x-ray is normal or abnormal. If it’s abnormal, it gives you a tentative diagnosis,” he said.
Using pneumonia as an example, the Minister explained that the system can identify not only the condition, but its precise location within the lungs, further strengthening diagnostic accuracy.
Addressing lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Anthony disclosed that Lima Hospital is now capable of generating its own oxygen, with plans to bottle oxygen for distribution to health centres along the coast.
“During COVID, we had to scramble to get cylinders filled in Georgetown. Now, with the new hospitals, we are able to make oxygen on-site, and very soon we’ll also be able to bottle our own oxygen, reducing a lot of money that we are paying right now,” he said.
He also announced that the hospital now has three modern surgical theatres, which will soon be equipped with laparoscopic towers to facilitate minimally invasive surgery.
The Health Minister stressed that these upgrades reflect the Government’s broader healthcare agenda.
“When the President talks about a world-class healthcare system, it is not just for Georgetown. It is for all over the country. And we have started experiencing that transformation right here on the coast,” he said.
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