President Dr. Irfan Ali is setting his sights on transforming healthcare in Guyana with plans to deliver a world-class system powered by advanced digital technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), by the end of his second term. He made this statement at an AI seminar hosted at the Guyana Marriott Hotel in Georgetown under the theme, ‘Turning Promise into Practice, Integrating AI into Healthcare’.
The transformation includes multiple new regional hospitals, healthcare centers, mainstream use of telemedicine, and partnerships with internationally recognized names like Mount Sinai.
The president highlighted plans for a fully integrated digital health system that will integrate AI use and more modern thinking.
“AI will be in every center and integrated into the national system as part of our institutional framework. AI, therefore, is not waiting for illness to appear. It is identifying patterns before illness fully emerges. And this challenges the traditional way in which our healthcare systems have been organised,” he explained.
President Ali says Guyana is building a world-class healthcare system through the expansion of hospitals and the development of specialised facilities.
He explained that beyond infrastructure, the focus is on creating a responsive healthcare ecosystem capable of adapting quickly to the population’s needs. And with the President in his second term of office, he noted that the importance of leaving behind a world-class healthcare system for every Guyanese.
“It is a tall order, but I do not shirk from challenges. Indeed, artificial intelligence is changing governance. It is changing how we define knowledge. It is changing how we manage our system. It is changing how we organise society. And for a country like Guyana, rising, building, and defining itself in real time, this is not just a technological opportunity. It is a transformative opportunity,” he said.
President Ali says AI should be seen as adoptive intelligence, highlighting its ability to adopt Guyana’s needs. He noted that with only about 38 per cent of hospitals globally using AI, Guyana has a chance to become an early adopter and build an AI-driven healthcare system.