Guyana Ministry of Health, Mount Sinai Health System and Hess Corporation Unveil New State-of-the-Art Pathology Laboratory to Promote Early Diagnosis and Enhance Patient Care

Guyana Ministry of Health, Mount Sinai Health System and Hess Corporation Unveil New State-of-the-Art Pathology Laboratory to Promote Early Diagnosis and Enhance Patient Care

Renovated laboratory includes new technology to support remote, digital readings of pathology samples

Newswise — (New York, NY and Georgetown, Guyana – February 6, 2024) – The Guyana Ministry of Health, the Mount Sinai Health System and Hess Corporation announced today the reopening and expansion of pathology and laboratory services at Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, the country’s largest hospital, to promote early diagnosis of diseases that will enhance patient care and treatment. The capital improvements provide the latest technology and innovation, including remote connection to Mount Sinai’s Department of Pathology Laboratory in New York City, one of the largest in the United States. Through this digital pathology platform, internationally recognized pathologists can consult with local pathologists in Guyana to quickly analyze slides of tissue samples, significantly reducing turnaround time for patient diagnoses.

“The Ministry of Health-Mount Sinai-Hess partnership has seen some tremendous results, and with investments that we’re making, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that our human resources asset in the healthcare system in Guyana is quickly becoming world class assets,” said His Excellency President Dr. Irfaan Ali. “What we’re doing here is building a healthcare system ahead of its time. I want to thank all those who were involved in this groundbreaking project for Guyana, including Mount Sinai and Hess Corporation for their tremendous work in supporting our healthcare system,” the President said.

Mount Sinai is advising Guyana’s Ministry of Health in establishing the comprehensive, centralized pathology and laboratory services to expand care and meet the needs of the community. The improvements include remote pathology services that will allow Guyanese pathologists to connect with medical experts in New York City and around the world to swiftly analyze slides of tissue samples and reduce patient diagnosis times from three months to within 3-5 days. The laboratory now has capabilities to process 1,500 slides per day.

“We know the added stress and sickness it causes patients and their families when there are delays in making a diagnosis. We also know how critical it is for doctors to be able to start the right treatment for a disease as quickly as possible,” said Rachel C. Vreeman, MD, MS, Chair of Global Health and Health System Design and Director of the Arnhold Institute for Global Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (Icahn Mount Sinai). “The new pathology laboratory services at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation are going to improve the lives and health of Guyana’s people. The efforts by the Government of Guyana, Ministry of Health and teams of health professionals is commendable, and we are proud to partner with them and with Hess Corporation to bring better diagnostic services, training and laboratory capacity for the people of Guyana.”

The expansion of remote pathology and laboratory services is supported by a nearly $2.3 million ($475M GYD) investment including a loan from the World Bank for new equipment, and funds from the Government of Guyana for infrastructure upgrades. Facility renovations at Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation commenced in spring 2023. These improvements include installing cutting-edge technology and equipment such as tissue processors; developing service protocols and procedures like establishing remote telepathology communication connection with the Mount Sinai Pathology Laboratory; as well as recruiting and training local staff including junior pathologists, technicians, and assistants. The state-of-the-art laboratory enhances infectious disease profiling and dramatically upgrades diagnostics and treatment for noncommunicable diseases including cancers.

“The understanding of a disease is critical to high-quality, medical care because it is foundational to timely diagnosis, treatment and analysis of various conditions,” said Carlos Cordon-Cardo, MD, PhD, Professor and Chair of Pathology, Molecular and Cell-Based Medicine at the Icahn Mount Sinai. “Through the expanded pathology laboratory services in Guyana, we are honored to share our expertise with fellow pathologists and future healthcare leaders throughout Guyana’s medical community. A precise approach to classifying and treating a disease can only further assist doctors with information for effective patient care and health management, and by advancing early diagnoses, we can guide patients toward the best treatment option and optimize care.”

The central pathology program will focus on the areas of:

• Anatomic pathology: tissue and cell studies, including surgical pathology and autopsy services that utilize digital pathology and telepathology diagnosis
• Clinical pathology: body fluid studies, including chemistry and microbiology that utilize automated platforms such as high throughput screenings to rapidly test thousands or millions of samples
• Molecular pathology: molecular genetic testing, including molecular panels in microbiology and oncology, to define the characteristics of diseases

The expansion of pathology and laboratory services is part of a larger national healthcare initiative to improve the quality of and access to healthcare for the people of Guyana. A team of more than 40 healthcare experts from the Mount Sinai Health System—including Mount Sinai International and the Arnhold Institute of Global Health—are advising the Government of Guyana to develop high quality primary care across Guyana’s public health system, specialized services, and other improvements at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. This work is funded jointly by Hess Corporation and the Government of Guyana.

“We are proud to support the work of the Mount Sinai Health System and the Government of Guyana to provide affordable, high quality healthcare to the people of Guyana,” CEO John Hess said. “We are grateful to President Ali, Vice President Jagdeo and Minister Anthony for their leadership and to the team at Mount Sinai for their commitment. The opening of the pathology lab is an important step in the journey to move the national healthcare initiative forward.”

About the Mount Sinai Health System

Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with more than 43,000 employees working across eight hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, more than 300 labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time—discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it.

Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients’ medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 7,400 primary and specialty care physicians; 13 joint-venture outpatient surgery centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and more than 30 affiliated community health centers. Hospitals within the System are consistently ranked by Newsweek’s® “The World’s Best Smart Hospitals” and by U.S. News & World Report’s® “Best Hospitals” and “Best Children’s Hospitals.” The Mount Sinai Hospital is on the U.S. News & World Report’s® “Best Hospitals” Honor Roll for 2023-2024.

For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

About Hess Corporation

Hess Corporation (NYSE: HES) is a leading global independent energy company engaged in the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas. The company is recognized as an industry leader in environmental, social and governance performance and disclosure. More information on Hess Corporation is available at www.hess.com.