15 new medical lab techs for Reg. 5

Fifteen residents of Region Five have completed the 12-month Medical Laboratory Technician training programme, equipping them with the skills necessary to enhance healthcare delivery and improve patient outcomes.

The comprehensive programme provided theoretical and practical training, covering key areas such as haematology, microbiology, blood banking, clinical chemistry, immunology, and urology.

Participants also received instruction in laboratory safety protocols, specimen handling, quality assurance, and data interpretation, ensuring high standards of precision in laboratory services.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony on Saturday, Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony emphasised the importance of decentralised training programmes to meet the healthcare demands of Guyana’s rapidly evolving health sector.

Dr Anthony said, “These programmes are quite robust. So, if you don’t put in the effort, you are not going to make it. Medicine, after all, is a very serious thing. And therefore, we want to train you in a way that you can dispense your professional responsibility in the best possible manner…We also want you to deliver good, quality work.”

Minister Anthony also highlighted the significant investments made within the last few years to improve the region’s health infrastructure and services among other support.

For instance, Mahaicony Hospital has conducted more than 200 surgeries within the last year. A new $49 million digital Siemens X-ray machine was also installed at the hospital in February 2024, providing enhanced and faster imaging services.

The Fort Wellington Hospital has also benefited from the installation of a digital X-ray machine.

“These are not small investments. They are big investments. We have made them because we want the people of this region to get good healthcare services just like anybody else,” the health minister noted.

While commending the graduates for completing their course, Dr Anthony stated that they are ready to make meaningful contributions to the region’s healthcare sector.

In January 2024, the government launched the first Medical Laboratory Programme in Region Six.

This year, Guyana’s health sector will be further enhanced with a budgetary allocation of $143.2 billion.

To this end, he told the participants, “We have a lot of work to do. That is because we want to do a lot of transformational things.”

The graduation ceremony also saw the attendance of the Regional Health Officer (RHO), Dr Theresa Sarju, Regional Chairman, Vickchand Ramphal, and Member of Parliament, Faizal Jafferally (Republished from the Department of Public Information)