The Guyanese public health system is getting much-needed help from Northwell Health University Hospital on New York City’s Staten Island.

The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) in Guyana has received medical personnel from Northwell Health University Hospital. The medical personnel arrived in the South American country last Tuesday (March 1) to augment care, and forge cultural ties, while training physicians in tropical medicine.

The medical team will be visiting all 10 administrative regions of Guyana as they learn tropical medicine and broaden their cross-cultural understanding to address disparities in New York City. They are also hoping to build better trust with their patients and patients’ families.

The Ministry of Health in Georgetown as well Northwell Health University Hospital are now in discussions to finalise a five-year strategy as well as complete talks on long-term housing needs for medical residents training in the country. The partnership aims to address disparities in Guyana by supporting and enhancing a variety of services.

The alliance will also look to address disparities in New York by broadening cross-cultural understanding with the communities of Little Guyana in Queens as well as surrounding neighbourhoods that make up the fifth-largest immigrant population in the Big Apple.

Addressing health care in New York and Guyana

“Addressing health equity at home also means addressing the health care needs abroad,” stated Dr Eric Cieo Peña, Northwell’s director of the Center for Global Health (CGH). He explained that “medical education is also about understanding your patients, their culture and value systems.”

Commenting more on the partnership, Dr Peña added, “All of this comes with trust and showing our surrounding communities that have become increasingly diverse, that Northwell understands their cultural needs and what’s important to them. This partnership is a win-win by strengthening Guyana’s health system and secondly, strengthening Northwell’s relationship with the people of Guyana and Little Guyana.”  

Dr Peña, who is also an emergency physician on Staten Island, explained that the Guyanese Diaspora are excited about the medical news. noting that doctors want to help immigrant communities in New York.

“That is one of the reasons they were heading to Guyana. How do I communicate with a community that has been disenfranchised, that haven’t been [targeted] for vaccination campaign or COVID testing campaign? All the things we see as discrepancies, and disparities right now,” Peña contended.

Dr Peña, while being interviewed by Guyanese-heritage reporter, Jennifer Bisram, shared, “There are things that communities are genetically or pre-disposed to things such as elevated rates of cardiac disease found in West Indian Americans. We see elevated rates of suicidality and mental health issues. We are seeing problems that may have started in Guyana like prenatal care and end up in Long Island.”

The medical doctor argued that Guyana has an enormous burden of non-communicable diseases, such as stroke, hypertension, as well as traumatic operations due to car accidents, and, as such, the team of over a dozen health professionals will also help Guyana rebuild its healthcare system.