Guyana: Guyana Eyes Role as Regional Centre for Robotic Surgery Training

Guyana is moving to establish itself as a Caribbean centre for robotic surgery training as efforts continue to strengthen specialised healthcare services and develop local expertise. Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony stated that the government is working to create an accredited fellowship programme in robotic surgery through a partnership involving the Ministry of Health, the University of Guyana, and the Postgraduate Medical Institute.

During a press conference, Dr. Anthony explained that medical professionals who complete the programme would receive recognised fellowship-level training. He noted, “We are going to accredit that programme between the Post Grad Institute, University of Guyana, and the Ministry of Health, so that when you go through that training, you will have fellowship training.” According to the minister, Guyana is uniquely positioned to offer this type of specialised instruction due to the advanced systems already in place.

Dr. Anthony mentioned that this initiative is part of a broader strategy to expand Guyana’s role in advanced healthcare, following the successful completion of what has been described as the longest-distance telesurgery procedure ever performed using robotic technology. Additionally, discussions have been held with overseas cardiac surgery specialists to support the growth of Guyana’s robotic cardiac surgery programme.

Among the priorities identified is training local perfusionists, who play a critical role in complex heart operations. Dr. Anthony stated, “They’re going to work with us to make sure that we send somebody for training, and they’re going to help us to find that placement, so that we can have our own perfusionist.” The long-term objective is to build sufficient local expertise to independently carry out highly specialised procedures without relying on external teams.

Beyond robotic surgery, the Health Minister pointed to ongoing investments in telemedicine, digital health services, and artificial intelligence-driven diagnostics. He noted that an AI-powered X-ray interpretation system is now being used in more than 15 hospitals across the country, allowing healthcare providers to rapidly identify abnormalities and generate preliminary diagnoses. Dr. Anthony concluded that these developments reflect the government’s wider healthcare modernisation programme, adding that the infrastructure being established is intended to serve not only Guyana but the wider Caribbean region as well.

Source: snn.gy