Medical schools scoping Barbados

IT appears as though Barbados is becoming a destination of choice for the establishment of medical schools, with at least three more institutions seeking to set up their operations on the island.

 

This was revealed in the Honourable Senate yesterday by Senator Harcourt Husbands as he led off debate on the Caribbean Accreditation Authority (Education in Medicine and other Health Professions) (Incorporation) Bill 2016.

 

Senator Husbands said this Bill is not only important as it ensures regional medical institutions are accredited to international standards, he stressed that it is also important to the economy of Barbados, as it will attract international students to come to the island to study.

 

With the American University of Barbados and the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Cave Hill already functioning, he said the Queen’s University School of Medicine and the Barbados International School of Medicine could be the newest additions.

 

“They are in the process, making the necessary applications and making the necessary inquiries.”

 

Senator Husbands also revealed that the Washington University School of Medicine is in the very early stages of making inquiries to be established in Barbados.

 

“These institutions particularly the foreign based institutions, if you take the Faculty of Medicine of the UWI out of that group, particularly the American University of Barbados and the others, they are seeking as I understand it to expand the number of students to whom they cater significantly,” he explained.

 

“And without trying to make too much of it, but at the same time emphasising the important business aspect of these developments, a significant expansion of the student base of these institutions would have a multiplier effect throughout the economy in housing, rentals of various sorts as these things multiplies through the economy, it adds a new dimension to our tourism product. If there is medical tourism, there is certainly educational tourism tied to medical training,” he said.

 

Senator Husbands noted that this legislative step which is over a decade overdue, will put into law what Barbados signed on to in 2005, to establish a regional accreditation body for medical training institutions. Once accredited through this body, persons will be allowed to practice across the region and internationally.

 

“With this accreditation, students from North America who come to the region as students in one of the several medical training institutions will now be, as I am advised, in a position to receive grants from the Federal government in the US to pursue their medical training locally or regionally.” This he said is important to the internationalisation of education. (JH)