Georgetown, Guyana – Guyana is rewriting the rules of healthcare in the Caribbean, and one of the nation’s top doctors says the progress is nothing short of extraordinary. Dr. Mahendra Carpen, one of the region’s leading cardiologists, declared that Guyana’s transformation has outpaced every other country in the Caribbean, pointing to 12 new hospitals, a booming system of medical training, and breakthroughs in specialist care that few thought possible a decade ago.
“There are countries with larger populations and greater resources, but when I talk about healthcare development, it’s the scope of what’s being done, the sheer grandeur,” Dr. Carpen said during an appearance on the Starting Point podcast. “There’s no other country anywhere in the Caribbean, for example, that would have done 12 new hospitals in such a short time. There is no other country that has invested and seen fruits in training of healthcare professionals in such a short time.”
The cardiologist recalled returning to Guyana in 2012 and witnessing the early push by the PPP/C government to build local specialties. Since the party’s return to office in 2020, those efforts have exploded. “When I came back to Guyana in 2012, we started a training programme for internal medicine around 2013/2014. In about 10 years from then to now, that training programme for internal medicine has moved on to create sub-specialties,” he explained.
Today, Guyana is not just producing doctors, but specialists in fields that once required training abroad. “From internal medicine now, we can identify and send people for training. For gastroenterology, that’s for the GI system. We can send people for pulmonology, that’s the lungs, for kidney specialty, for cardiac specialty. All of that happened in a short time,” Dr. Carpen outlined, noting that in just the past five years, the scope has broadened to include a wide range of sub-specialties.
But the revolution is not only about shiny new hospitals and advanced training—it’s about unleashing local talent. “These are all developments that are happening, and it’s not just happening at a central level. Everyone is allowed the opportunity to make their contributions… The locals who have the relevant expertise, you can put it to use,” he stressed.
Guyana’s bold investments have already earned it a reputation as a regional leader. The country’s telehealth programme, which brings doctors virtually into hinterland communities, is being praised as a model for others to follow.For Dr. Carpen, the message is simple: Guyana is no longer playing catch-up—it is setting the pace. “What we’ve achieved here, no other country in the Caribbean has done,” he declared.
