Guyana to host major international medical conference

The Caribbean Urological Association (CURA’s) 26th Annual International Conference will be held at the Pegasus Suites and Corporate Centre, Georgetown, Guyana from 8th to 10th November 2024. This landmark event marks Guyana’s first hosting of a major urological conference, in a city quickly emerging as a major location for international events. The CURA 2024 event is the result of a collaborative effort between CURA, Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), and the Guyana Ministry of Health’s Men’s Health Unit.

The conference registration list includes >50 renowned experts and prominent medical professionals; notably leading urological surgeons from across the Caribbean, the Americas, and beyond. They include Dr. Jorge Gutiérrez-Aceves, Associate Secretary of the American Urological Association; Dr. Francisco Javier Sanchez Gutierrez, representative of the Société Internationale d’Urologie; and Mr. Sunjay Jain, representative of the British Journal of Urology International. Other distinguished participants include Dr. William Aiken, Professor of Urology and Head of Surgery at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus Jamaica, and Dr. Satyendra Persaud, CURA President and Urology Post-Graduate Training Coordinator at UWI, Trinidad.

The conference will be headlined by Guyana’s Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Frank Anthony, who will deliver the feature address and introduce Guyana’s national prostate health strategy, thus setting the stage for presentations of local and regional research by relevant sector specialists. Prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men in Guyana and the Caribbean, and the Men’s Heath Unit of the Ministry of Health, led by Dr. Sawan Jagnarain, has been putting together a plan to combat this pressing health issue.

Preceding the main conference, GPHC will host a specialized surgical workshop led by Professor Kurt McCammon, a globally respected expert in Reconstructive Urological Surgery from Virginia, USA. This workshop will provide hands-on skills training for Guyana’s urologists in advanced reconstructive techniques in treating urinary strictures.

Dr. Rajendra Sukhraj, CURA Vice-President, Guyana-based urologist, and coordinator of the advocacy team which worked to bring this event to Guyana, expresses appreciation to GPHC’s CEO Dr. Robbie Rambarran and Hon. Dr. Frank Anthony for their support. CURA acknowledges and appreciates the many corporate sponsors and partners whose contributions are helping to advance urological care across the region