Fifteen trainees have graduated from Guyana’s newly established Digital Health Training Institute, qualifying them to join the Ministry of Health as Digital Health Specialists as the public healthcare system expands its use of technology.
The first cohort completed 17 training modules and a two-part final assessment, preparing the graduates to support digital systems being introduced across the country’s public health sector.
These include Electronic Health Records, telemedicine, pharmaceutical management systems and artificial intelligence-supported diagnostic tools.
Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony, who attended Wednesday’s graduation ceremony, said the programme is intended to address the need for skilled personnel to operate and maintain the technology being introduced into the health system.
“What we try to do as a ministry is see where we want to go, and if we don’t have the people to take us there, we train people who can give us the technical support,” Dr Anthony said.
The minister said the new specialists will contribute to the technical capacity needed to support Guyana’s national Electronic Health Record system and other digital health platforms as they are expanded across the country.
The specialists are expected to help maintain the functionality and connectivity of the systems, while providing technical support to health workers who use them to access and manage patient information.
The Digital Health Training Institute was established through a partnership between the Ministry of Health and Mount Sinai, with support from the Greater Guyana Initiative, to develop a specialised digital health workforce locally.
The graduation comes as the ministry increases its investment in digital healthcare, creating a growing need for personnel capable of supporting the infrastructure and platforms on which the system will increasingly depend.
The 15 graduates will now join the Ministry of Health’s technical workforce, where they are expected to support the continued rollout and operation of Guyana’s digital health systems.
