Guyana’s healthcare system is expected to further improve with a US$22 million project approved by the World Bank.
The international financial institution in a press statement on Wednesday said the fund will see the launching of the Guyana One Health Project which will focus on empowering the country to prevent, prepare for, and respond to health emergencies. The project the bank said will adopt a One Health approach which integrates human, animal, and environmental health systems.
Guyana, the bank says, faces an evolving set of public health threats, with non-communicable diseases accounting for 70% of all deaths with infection diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria posing major risks.
To address the challenges, the bank has collaborated with the Government and the Pandemic Fund to launch the new project which integrates and modernises the local public health infrastructure. The Guyana one Health Project will also further upgrade and decentralize the laboratory network, including transforming the National Public Health Reference Laboratory into a state-of-the-art facility. Veterinary and wildlife diagnostic capacity will also be expanded utilizing the One Health approach, improving the ability to detect zoonotic diseases—those that spread from animals to humans—as well as illnesses such as dengue and malaria.
Laboratories will be weather-resilient and energy-efficient, ensuring that they operate even in extreme weather conditions.
Diletta Doretti, the World Bank’s Group Representative for Guyana said, “a healthy and productive society for economic growth. This project builds upon earlier health projects which addressed vulnerabilities in the health system, applying a One Health approach, and directly contributes to the nation’s productivity and long-term prosperity.”
The project the bank said will digitize the country’s health surveillance systems, replacing outdated paper records with integrated, real-time platforms that link data from across human and animal health sectors critical for addressing antimicrobial resistance. The project will establish regional surveillance units nationwide, helping to detect and respond to emerging outbreaks to their source. Investments will also improve disease monitoring at points of entry, ensuring Guyana’s borders are better equipped to manage cross-border health threats.
Alongside these system upgrades, a new generation of health professionals—from laboratory scientists to port health officers—will be trained and equipped with the skills to detect, report, and respond to outbreaks. The training will go beyond technical expertise to include how to identify and support individuals affected by gender-based violence, a risk that often increases during crises.
Executive Head of the Pandemic Fund Priya Basu said, “The Pandemic Fund is pleased to collaborate with the Government of Guyana and the World Bank on this innovative partnership, which marks another milestone in our efforts to contain infectious disease outbreaks, prevent pandemics and save lives. The US$15.6 million grant from the Pandemic Fund is unlocking US$96.5 million, or over six times as much, in domestic and international financing to support Guyana’s efforts”.
The pandemic fund is the first of its kind multilateral financing mechanism dedicated exclusively to strengthening critical pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response capacities and capabilities of low- and middle-income countries through investments and technical support at the national, regional, and global levels.
The fund was established in 2022 and since then it has awarded grants amounting to $885 million while mobilizing an additional $6 billion resources for pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response investments for 75 countries across six regions.