The prospect of a new medical school coming to open up in Antigua and Barbuda
has found favour with the country’s Health Minister, Sir Molwyn Joseph.
Last week, the Cabinet invited two investors interested in opening a medical school
in the country to its meeting.
Now the health minister is publicly voicing support for the initiative noting that
based on past experiences, medical schools have contributed significantly to the
nation’s economy.
Not only do they provide employment, but their students rent apartments, motor
vehicles as well as shop at supermarkets and eat at restaurants, thus supporting
many local businesses.
The announcement from the Cabinet is that the proposed school will cater largely
to students coming out of Pakistan and India with faculty also recruited from those
states, however, students and staff would also be selected from other nations.
During the post-Cabinet press conference last week, the Prime Minister’s Chief of
Staff Lionel Hurst said that talks will continue with the investors who hope to cater
to the nearly 100,000 persons from India and Pakistan who are interested in
accessing medical training but are unable to do so in their home nation.
According to Hurst, the demand for spaces in medical schools in these countries
far exceed the available spaces. Therefore, many operators see places like Antigua
and Barbuda with its Caribbean charm, as ideal centres to establish such
institutions.
