Over 100,000 Guyanese children added to digital health records system

More than 100,000 children in Guyana will now have their baseline health information permanently recorded under the country’s expanding digital healthcare system.

The announcement was made by President Mohamed Irfaan Ali during the commissioning of the new Outpatient Pavilion at Dr Balwant Singh’s Hospital on Saturday, where he also outlined broader reforms aimed at modernising and future-proofing the national health sector.

Ali said the integration of electronic health records, combined with expanded screening initiatives, has already enabled tens of thousands of children to have their baseline medical data securely stored. The system is designed to track patients’ health throughout their lives.

“More than 100,000 children will now grow up in an environment where their baseline health data has already been captured and recorded to track them for the rest of their lives,” the president said. “That is a new future our children will grow up in. That is the new norm.”

He explained that early capture of key health indicators will allow for improved monitoring, faster diagnoses and more effective long-term treatment planning as children move into adolescence and adulthood.

The initiative forms part of the government’s nationwide rollout of electronic health records and digital health platforms, aimed at reducing waiting times, cutting inefficiencies and strengthening preventive care.

“We are building a healthcare system in which waiting times are reduced, shortages are eliminated and early detection becomes standard practice,” Ali said.

By establishing comprehensive patient records from an early age, Guyana is shifting from a largely reactive model of care to a more proactive approach, he added.

“These are the things that will make the difference long after all of us are gone,” the head of state said. “That is how we take Guyana safely, better and healthier into the future.”