By Tiana Cole – HGP Nightly News
Two years after its launch, the Ministry of Health’s accelerated Nursing Assistant Program has graduated a fresh cohort of trained professionals—marking a key milestone in the country’s broader effort to reduce the shortage of qualified healthcare workers across Guyana.
The intensive 12-month program, launched to fill gaps in the healthcare workforce, initially offered online theoretical training, followed by in-person clinical sessions—a hybrid model that combined flexibility with real-world experience.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony emphasized that while the government is heavily investing in healthcare infrastructure, including six new hospitals currently under construction, there remains an urgent need to staff these facilities with trained personnel.
“We thought that we have to come up with a very innovative way in how we are going to train people,” Dr. Anthony explained.
He urged graduates to see their accomplishment not as the end, but the beginning of a career in healthcare, encouraging them to pursue further education and advancement in the field.
“One of the most important characteristics we want our nursing assistants to have is empathy. You have to feel what the other person is feeling when they come for care,” he stressed.
Valedictorian Speaks from the Heart
Felicia McClean, valedictorian and proud resident of Linden, shared her emotional journey, crediting God for her success and urging aspiring nursing assistants to be curious and consistent.
“Follow every advice the tutors gave you. Turn up to class every day. If you don’t know something—ask. No question is a stupid question,” she said.
The graduating class represents a diverse cross-section of Guyanese, with participants from all ten administrative regions. The Ministry has described this as a major step forward in ensuring equitable access to healthcare services in both coastal and hinterland regions.
