The installation of the first magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine in the public healthcare system has commenced at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), marking what the government has described as a significant milestone in the country’s healthcare system.
Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony, in a post on his Facebook page yesterday, said the installation of the machine represents “another historic milestone in Guyana’s healthcare transformation.”
The MRI service will be the first of its kind to be available within the public health system. Until now, patients requiring MRI scans at public hospitals had to be referred to private medical facilities, where they were required to bear at least some of the cost of the examination.
Anthony said the new equipment would bring “world-class diagnostic services within reach of every citizen, regardless of their ability to pay.”
He added that the installation forms part of the government’s efforts to modernise the country’s healthcare sector.
“This is what real investment in people looks like. We promised to modernise healthcare, and we are delivering, step by step, project by project, promise by promise,” the minister wrote.
MRI scans are used to produce detailed images of organs, tissues and other structures inside the body and are considered an important diagnostic tool in the detection and management of a wide range of medical conditions, including neurological disorders, cancers and musculoskeletal injuries.
The Ministry of Health has not yet announced when the MRI machine is expected to become operational.
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