Guyana to spotlight region-leading telemedicine network at CARPHA’s 70th Health Research Conference
Guyana’s rapidly expanding telemedicine network, now one of the most extensive in the world, will take centre stage when the country hosts CARPHA’s 70th Annual Health Research Conference in April 2026. The system, which already links 81 sites nationwide and will soon add 15 more, is set to be showcased as one of the defining examples of how digital innovation is reshaping public health in the Caribbean.
The milestone conference was officially launched on Friday, with CARPHA Executive Director Dr. Lisa Indar and Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony outlining what the region can expect from what remains the Caribbean’s largest and longest-running health research forum.
Dr. Indar highlighted the significance of the 70-year legacy, describing the event as a landmark moment for Caribbean-led science. She noted that the conference, rooted in seven decades of research and evidence-based policy, is not just a gathering but a continuation of work that began in 1956, when regional researchers were battling limited resources, emerging diseases and severe health threats. The 2026 theme, “Innovations in Health,” reflects the shift toward new technologies, tools, and approaches needed to meet today’s complex challenges.
She pointed to the vital role innovations now play in detecting diseases faster, improving access, reducing deaths, and strengthening health services across the region. Examples ranged from genome sequencing and digital surveillance to mobile clinics, telemedicine, and rapid diagnostic tools. Caribbean countries, including Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, The Bahamas and CARPHA itself, were highlighted for notable breakthroughs in areas such as malaria elimination technology, chronic disease support, expanded telemedicine services and modernised regional health coordination.
The anniversary conference will also feature digital health demonstrations, a commemorative magazine, a special dinner and platforms to elevate Caribbean research on the global stage. Dr. Indar encouraged governments, students, academics, civil society and the private sector to contribute and participate, including by submitting research abstracts before December 19, 2025.
Minister Anthony reaffirmed Guyana’s readiness to host the event, emphasising the blend of traditional health research with emerging technologies that the conference aims to highlight. He outlined several areas where Guyana has made major strides, including efforts to eliminate five neglected infectious diseases by 2030, the rollout of digital health records, and the expansion of telemedicine to remote communities.
He also pointed to Guyana’s use of drones to deliver medical supplies, the application of AI for reading X-rays and CT scans, recent shifts to new influenza and HPV vaccines, and the country’s growing transplant programme. In addition, he highlighted major investments in school-based health screening, with more than 70,000 children already assessed, and ongoing work to strengthen HIV testing capacity.
The Minister also spoke on Guyana’s history of medical research, tracing it back to the 1800s with publications like the Asylum Journal and the British Guiana Medical Journal, and expressed hope that the 2026 conference will help revive and showcase local scientific work.
Guyana, he said, looks forward to hosting researchers and delegates from across the region for an exchange of ideas, new findings, and shared experiences, setting the stage for what is expected to be one of the most vibrant and forward-looking conferences in CARPHA’s history.
