| TCI medical school gets approval to prepare location | | Print | |
| Written by Richard Green/richard@fptci.com | |||
| Wednesday, 15 August 2012 17:17 | |||
|
The Turks and Caicos Islands are one step closer to having its own medical school to train up to 100 students per semester in medicine and public health. The Global University of Medicine and Public Health (GU-MED) was granted authority from the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP) to complete refurbishment and fitting of the school in the Prestigious Properties building on Grace Bay Road, the governor and school officials announced Aug. 14. When in gets final approval for its $8.4 million investment, GU-MED is expected to open to its first 20 students in the fall of 2013, said Dr. Tomlin Paul, dean and provost of the school who has spent more than 20 years at the University of the West Indies School of Medicine. The school eventually expects to train 100 students per semester in the area of general medicine. The annual tuition is expected to be $28,500, which is highly competitive with other institutions, Paul said. GU-MED board member Dr. Carlton Mills said the school would provide a tremendous economic benefit for the country. And Paul said the school will help improve health care in the TCI because its students will practice in local primary care facilities, which are being expanded to better meet the country’s health care needs. The school will also provide opportunities for local students through scholarships. As part of the program, students will be required to do community service throughout the islands, especially in the family islands where health care is not as readily available. In addition to four-year medical degrees, an Advanced Standing Program for M.D. degrees will be offered to qualified physician assistants, nurse practitioners and qualified International Medical Graduates from approved World Health Organization schools. Clinical rotations will be conducted in accredited hospitals in the U.S., Caribbean and the U.K. It will also offer master’s and doctorate degrees in public health. In addition to attracting international experts to its faculty, the school will draw on local expertise. “There are a number of practitioners here in the Turks and Caicos Islands who have tremendous experience and expertise, and who we will be engaging and inviting to be associate lecturers and part-time professors within the school,” Paul said. GU-MED has signed memoranda of understanding with the University of the West Indies; Mona, Jamaica; and the Yale School of Public Health to establish affiliations in academics and research. “This is not a fly by night institution, and that is why we had to wait a long period of time to get the accreditation from CAAM-HP,” Mills said of the school that was first proposed in 2010. The school is being established according to the vision of Dr. Raul Cuadrado — chairman, founder, rector and dean emeritus of the GU-MED — to meet the need for primary care practitioners and experts in public health.
|
Related Articles
Entertainment: Your Island Guide
|
Top things to do in April Top things to do in April 1. From Golfing to More... |
|
Valentine’s Day Cup 2013 model sailboat races The Middle Caicos Sailboat Association will once again present the annual model sailboat races at More... |
|
Lime and Tourist Board announce weekly Fish Fry The Turks & Caicos Tourist Board & LIME partner with Cultural Fish Fry The Turks & Caicos Tourist More... |
|
Turks & Caicos Reef Fun to host dazzling evening The Turks and Caicos Reef Fund will host its 2nd Annual Cocktail Party Reception on Jan. 26 at the More... |
|
Fashion Glam at Regent Palms The Regent Palms is inviting everyone to an evening of fashion and glamour at their event being More... |
Latest Community News
|
Cholera Clinical Management Training Held in the TCI Healthcare professionals from the TCI Health Services were trained in the Clinical Management of More... |
|
Illegal Haitian immigrants Intercepted Illegal Haitian Immigrants Intercepted, to the Repatriated According to the Ministry of Border More... |
|
Ministry of Health Reminding public about sanitation Health surveillance teams attached to the Ministry of Health and Human Services (MOHHS) have More... |
|
Scholarship applications now being accepted The Ministry of Education has announced that they are now accepting applications for scholarships More... |
|
History and traditions stay alive at the 13th annual boat races in Middle Caicos The 2013 Valentines Day Cup welcomed many fun loving residents and tourists to Middle Caicos’ More... |