Gov’t to launch national programme to provide prostate cancer screening

The government will soon launch a massive national initiative with one of its international partners, and Men on Mission (MoM) to screen males 45 years of age and older for prostate cancer across the country.

President Dr Mohamed Irfaan made the disclosure during the launch of the Universal Healthcare Voucher on Saturday, at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre at Liliendaal.

“…Early detection gives you a better chance of having the best result. We are already working [on this]. We spent an entire day with the team from Northwell [Health] working on a strategy that will address prostate, breast and colon cancer. We are going to map an early detection, strategic approach towards national screening and treatment,” the head of state underlined.

In 2024, the government conducted over 13,600 prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood tests across the country. Of this amount, 2,607 men had elevated PSA levels, 536 biopsies were performed and 126 new prostate cancer cases were detected.

He highlighted that almost 10,000 women are benefitting from cervical cancer screening, free of cost.

“We can really reduce deaths in [prostate cancer], breast cancer and cervical cancer because early detection is the key.  All three of them we can reduce the deaths in an extraordinary way with data, early detection and early treatment,” he noted.

Apart from building these partnerships, the government is also making substantial investment in cutting-edge medical technology and equipment for treatment.

He applauded the private sector’s investment in healthcare aimed at enhancing service delivery.

“We have seen massive investment from the private sector in healthcare, improving their level of service and enhancing the environment in which they are delivering healthcare. We are continuing to facilitate that investment so that our health ecosystem, public and private, can work seamlessly in delivering the best healthcare to our people,” President Ali underlined.

Guyana’s healthcare system will not only benefit the locals but also the Caribbean region.

The president stated, “Our healthcare system is meant to support within the region [and] to deliver global health services here in Guyana. And that is why international connectivity and partnerships are so critical. We see Guyana as an attractive destination for global healthcare services. That is what we are building, a global market.”

President Ali stated that the Ministry of Health continues to strengthen its partnerships with some of the most significant global health institutions.

These robust collaborations are evidence of a results-driven system and government that aims to calibrate Guyana’s best available skills to achieve the best possible outcome.

“And that did not come easily. That came through hard work, leadership, strategic foreign policy, and maximum and optimal utilisation of time when we go to international forums and meetings…Our health foreign policy has brought tremendous goodwill and results for our country. We must applaud that,” he stressed (Republished from the Department of Public Information)