GEORGETOWN, Guyana, (DPI) – Guyana has taken an important step to improve its healthcare by launching a national Electronic Health Records (EHR) system and holding a Health Fair on Saturday at Festival City Polyclinic. The EHR system is designed to significantly reduce waiting times and eliminate paper records. It will also improve coordination of care.
Under the new system, patients will be able to book appointments online, access their medical history digitally, and move seamlessly between doctors, laboratories and pharmacies.
Minister of health Dr Frank Anthony said the initiative aligns with the government’s broader digital transformation, noting that the vision for electronic health records has been in development for decades. He highlighted the long-term benefits for patients, noting that laboratory results, imaging and prescriptions will be stored in one secure digital record.
“When the results [are] finished, you ain’t got to come back and wait there. That result goes directly into your record,” he said.
Additionally, the urgency to implement the system became even clearer during the COVID-19 pandemic, when patient data across the country had to be managed manually.
“We recognise that during COVID, to manage patients and to understand what was going on across this country, all of that we were doing manually, and it was a challenge,” Dr Anthony said.
Addressing concerns about privacy and confidentiality, the health minister assured the public that strong legal safeguards are already in place. He pointed to the Data Protection Act, which imposes fines of up to $20 million for individuals and $100 million for institutions that unlawfully disclose personal medical data.
“People’s information must be kept confidential, and we are taking this very seriously,” Dr Anthony stressed.
Looking ahead, the minister said the system will be rolled out nationwide, covering all public hospitals and health centres. There is also a plan to integrate private healthcare providers.
“There is no difference between getting treated in Lethem or getting treated in Georgetown, because all would be on the same platform,” he noted. The minister urged patients and healthcare workers alike to embrace the new technology, acknowledging that adjustments will take time but emphasising the long-term benefits.
“If we embrace this and work well, we will all share in the benefits,” minister Anthony said, adding that the system will allow for more efficient care, better planning, and improved health outcomes for all Guyanese.
