Telemedicine centres increasing this year – Min Anthony

The government plans to establish telemedicine centres in Regions One, Four, Five, Seven, Eight, Nine, and Ten this year.

Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony made the announcement on Sunday during the ‘Budget in Focus’ programme aired on the National Communications Network (NCN).

The health minister disclosed that there are 89 sites across the regions and the aim is to double the amount to provide equitable service.

The telemedicine initiative was launched in 2022 and piloted in Masakenari, Nappi, Yupukari and Parikawarinau in Region Nine. It was extended to 23 communities across Regions One, Seven, Eight, Nine, and Ten.

Telemedicine enables real-time communication between a patient and the medical professional at the sites.

Healthcare workers can remotely diagnose, evaluate, and treat patients through the integration of audio and video equipment with medical devices.

These high-quality devices also ensure community health workers (CHWs) have 24/7 access to specialists at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

For instance, pregnant women in Regions One and Eight are benefitting from ultrasound and obstetric consultations at newly established telemedicine sites.

“We have also been using telemedicine to do things like teleophthalmology…Diabetic patients need to get their retinal scans every year. We are able to use AI to see whether there are any changes in the retina. That has been helpful in managing our diabetic patients,” Dr Anthony explained.

The introduction of telemedicine underscores the government’s broader efforts to transform Guyana’s health sector into a world-class system.