The Greater Guyana Initiative (GGI), Mount Sinai Health System, and the Guyana Ministry of Health have launched the Guyana Digital Health Training Institute (DHTI). The institute is designed to support Guyana’s digital health strategy by training professionals who will help implement a national Electronic Health Record (EHR) system.
The DHTI will function as a center for developing a workforce skilled in digital health. The institute aims to address the shortage of trained health information systems and technology professionals in Guyana. Over the first three years, it plans to train more than 250 digital health professionals. These individuals will contribute to building a robust digital infrastructure for healthcare delivery across the country.
Guyana’s Minister of Health, Hon. Frank Anthony, MD, MPH, highlighted the need for workforce development alongside technological investments: “While it’s easy to buy technology, to buy equipment, the transformation would not happen without getting people to run these systems,” Minister Anthony said. “That is why it is so important that we invest in training” people across Guyana.
The DHTI forms part of GGI’s broader National Health Information Systems and Technology Workforce Development Program. This program is intended to build leadership and provide support for implementing national health information systems.
Alistair Routledge, President of ExxonMobil Guyana Limited and representative of GGI, stated: “Accurate and accessible health information leads to safer care, faster clinical decisions, and better outcomes for every patient who enters a health facility. It also creates new career paths for young people in all 10 regions, strengthening local talent and positioning Guyana as a leader in digital health in the Caribbean.”
Rachel Vreeman, MD, MS, Executive Director of the Guyana Health Initiative at Mount Sinai and Chair of the Department of Global Health and Health System Design at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai said: “Guyana has a bold vision and plan for digital health transformation that will be life-changing for the entire country. We are proud to partner with the Guyana Ministry of Health to train the skilled workforce that will make this transformation possible by growing capacity to strategically implement digital health solutions for Guyana. We are also grateful to GGI for their crucial support of this initiative, which will achieve their goals by fostering high-revenue employment in Guyana.”
Training through DHTI will be provided online at no cost, with both live sessions and self-paced options available nationwide. A fast-track program is scheduled to start on January 19 with up to 65 trainees—50 recent secondary school graduates along with 15 health technologists from Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation and other public health facilities. A broader training program is planned for early 2026 covering user support, health IT, and data science fields.
Graduates from DHTI will join the newly established Digital Health Service Corps and work at facilities deploying or using EHR systems for one year. This approach aims to retain skilled workers within the country’s healthcare system while creating new employment opportunities in digital health.
Jeb Weisman, PhD, Director of Global Health Informatics at the Arnhold Institute for Global Health said: “The innovative Guyana Digital Health Training Institute positions the country to serve as a model for the region and globally, establishing a center of excellence in digital training. Mount Sinai is excited about the transformative opportunities this Institute will create for Guyana’s workforce and health system, and we are proud to partner with the Ministry of Health to help make it possible.”
GGI represents a $100 million investment by ExxonMobil Guyana Limited, Hess Guyana Exploration Limited, and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited aimed at supporting local capacity development projects throughout various sectors in Guyana beyond oil and gas.
