Electric shock therapy now available for mental health patients in Guyana

The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), in collaboration with the Center for Global Health at Northwell Health (USA), officially inaugurated Guyana’s first dedicated Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) Clinic on September 19, 2025. This achievement represents a major advancement in the country’s mental health care system and offers new, life-changing treatment options for individuals with severe psychiatric conditions.

With the establishment of this clinic, GPHC is now equipped to deliver ECT, a proven treatment for disorders such as major depressive episodes, schizophrenia, and catatonia, to patients who have not responded to conventional therapies. Since the first procedure in September 2024, 28 patients with complex psychiatric conditions such as major depressive episodes, schizophrenia, and catatonia have been successfully treated. Outcomes have included reduced suicide risk, shorter hospital stays, and a renewed sense of hope for families who had previously exhausted all available treatment options.

“This is not only a clinical advancement, but also a major step forward in strengthening our mental health system. It demonstrates what is possible when international collaboration, local leadership, and institutional commitment come together in service of our patients,” said Dr. Navindranauth Rambaran, Director of Medical and Professional Services at GPHC.

Dr. Rambaran also outlined the capacity-building efforts that made the clinic possible:

“Through this partnership, ten physicians and anesthesiologists from GPHC received advanced training and certification in ECT… In addition, Northwell Health has generously donated two ECT machines to support the establishment of our country’s first dedicated ECT clinic.”

He also acknowledged the leadership of key partners in the initiative.

The inauguration ceremony brought together high-level stakeholders, including the Honourable Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, who delivered the feature address. He described the ECT clinic as a vital step in the ongoing modernization of psychiatric services in Guyana:

“…there are going to be some patients who are resistant to the form of treatment that we’ve been giving in pharmacotherapy. You have to look at some other forms of therapy, and ECT has proven to be very effective. I think with a lot of the work that is now being done in brain research, we are understanding a lot more about what is happening in someone’s brain…”

Other key speakers included Dr. Sohag Sanghani, Director of the Division of Interventional Psychiatry at Northwell Health, who spoke on the global significance of ECT, and Dr. Timothy Morgan, Director of Mental Health at the Ministry of Health, who praised the clinic as a “major step forward in psychiatric treatment in Guyana.”

This healthcare initiative marks the beginning of a renewed national focus on mental health and a commitment to building a system that supports individuals who may be experiencing mental health challenges. [GPHC Press Release]