First ECT clinic opens in Guyana – treatment targets patients unresponsive to conventional therapy
Guyana has opened its first Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) Clinic at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), giving new hope to patients battling severe mental health conditions who have not improved with standard treatments.
The facility, launched on Friday, September 19, 2025, is the result of a partnership between the Ministry of Health, GPHC, and the Center for Global Health at Northwell Health in the United States.
ECT will be available for patients suffering from major depressive episodes, schizophrenia, and catatonia- particularly those who have tried conventional therapies without success.
At the opening ceremony, Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony was joined by international and local specialists, including Dr. Sohag Sanghani, Director of the Division of Interventional Psychiatry at Northwell Health, and Dr. Timothy Morgan, Director of Mental Health at the Ministry of Health. Both doctors praised the move as a breakthrough in psychiatric care.
The Ministry of Health has pledged to continue modernising the country’s mental health services and to ensure that patients receive the highest standard of evidence-based care.
