Pres Ali assures of world...

Area for growth Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony, who was also at the event, shared similar sentiments, noting that the public healthcare sector has to “up its game”.

He expressed that the goal for Guyana is to be one of the places in the Caribbean and Latin American Region to be pioneering this type of medical technology.

Noting that this is an area for potential growth, the Health Minister said the Government will continue to do everything it can to support the medical private sector in such modern ventures.

In fact, the introduction of stem cell services in Guyana would not have been possible without the January 2022 passage of the Human Organ and Tissue Transplant Bill which provides the legal framework for the removal of human organs, tissues, cells, and biofluids for transplantation and blood transfusion.

“The whole idea here is that we can start developing this part of medicine in Guyana…Woodlands has taken the first jump in bringing stem cells to Guyana and applying that to pa- tients…people are recognising that Guyana is ready for this type of medicine,” Dr Anthony remarked.

National Medical Scientific Council

Meanwhile, as Guyana’s medical sector grows, the establishment of a National Medical Scientific Council was also announced by President Ali.

This Council, he noted, would bring the country’s best medical talent to investigate “not old technology but the best-in-class medical science development that can be applied in Guyana to help us here”.

In fact, the Head of State underscored the importance of medical science, and its relation to medical care, facilities and technology.

“Because it evolves as a science, it is tested, it [involves] things that change continuously, that help to give you better care, that help to develop better technology. So, if the science is dead, then care is dead, if the science is dead, the technology is dead, that is why we now must move to this new level.”

According to the President, Guyana’s medical corps can match medi- cal talent anywhere in the world.

“I’m of the very strong view that with the type of human resources we have in the health sector here, and I have interacted with many of our doctors, the combined ability of our medical corps, the core group of our medical talent in Guyana can match any medical talent anywhere across this world, I’m convinced of that and I want Guyana to know that the fundamental core of our medical system can stand up for itself and can represent itself, I’m very convinced about that,” he affirmed.

Moreover, the President noted that such new medical developments would not have been possible without the legal regulatory platform through which science can evolve.

“Nothing here could have been discussed if we didn’t take the steps forward, so modernising the legal environment in which urban and regional planning, medical science, and all that we are doing will evolve are exciting things but requires time and effort, it requires a lot of reading, it requires application of theory,” he outlined.