New Berbice hospital to serve as teaching facility, cut referral times

Medical students from East Berbice–Corentyne can now complete their studies closer to home, President Irfaan Ali said on Wednesday, as he commissioned a new regional hospital at Number 75 Village.

Ali was speaking at the commissioning of a new regional hospital at Number 75 Village, East Berbice–Corentyne, which he described as the most modern health facility ever built in the region and a symbol of his administration’s commitment to delivering equitable and accessible healthcare to all Guyanese.

“This hospital is not just concrete and steel,” the president declared in his feature address, adding that “It is a promise kept, a declaration that Berbice matters, that every region matters, that every citizen matters.”

Equipped with advanced diagnostic services, modern CT scans, and fully fitted operating theatres, the hospital is designed to reduce referral times and improve health outcomes across the region.

“Previously, a sick patient in this area might have had to travel over an hour to New Amsterdam or four hours to Georgetown for treatment,” Ali noted, pointing out that “Today, that reality changes. Time in healthcare is life, and this facility is about saving lives.”

The Number 75 facility is part of a wider national strategy that has seen six regional hospitals opened in less than three months.

“For anyone who doubts the value of this investment, let the numbers speak for themselves,” the head of state noted. “We are no longer talking about future goals; we are delivering results now.”

Ali stressed that the hospital will also serve as a teaching institution, linked to the College of Medicine, allowing students in Region Six to complete their studies closer to home.

He added that the broader healthcare transformation goes beyond infrastructure. “We’re building a system that’s science-driven, patient-centered, and technologically advanced. Every Guyanese, regardless of location, must feel that they’re receiving world-class care, because they deserve nothing less.”

Residents and regional leaders welcomed the facility, calling it long overdue and a game changer for the residents of East Berbice.

“We are rewriting the healthcare map of this country and Berbice is not on the periphery of that change, it is leading it,” the President said.