KINGSTON, Jamaica — The University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill campus has entered into an agreement with the University of Ghana (UG), for students to study medicine in the Caribbean.

Vice Chancellor of UWI, Sir Hilary Beckles made the announcement yesterday at a breakfast meeting held at UWI’s Regional Headquarters, Mona, St Andrew, to welcome members of a delegation from Ghana.

“The government of Barbados has just broken ground to build a 250-room dormitory specifically to accommodate these Ghanaian students who will be coming into the Medical faculty,” he stated.

He noted that under the project, Ghanaians will to come to the Caribbean and engage in the preclinical years of the medical programme.

He pointed out that in their training, the students will be able to study closely conditions such as  hypertension and type 2 diabetes, which are major health challenges being faced by the Caribbean region. 

“These are issues that are now facing the West African middle class and the Ghanaian middle class in particular.  Students will be exposed to all of this and then return for their clinical training,” Sir Beckles said.

“They will be better equipped to become African doctors because they will now know the Diaspora experience, which they can now connect with the home experience to make them into national and universal doctors,” he added.

Underscoring the benefits to be received by UWI’s medical programme, the Vice Chancellor said, “our students in the Caribbean will have an opportunity to train alongside African students, cross-fertilising ideas and creating in themselves a notion of global Africa.”

The project is among a number of initiatives being explored between both universities. 

Meanwhile, Minister of Culture, Tourism and Creative Arts, the Republic of Ghana, Barbara Oteng Gyasi, is encouraging cultural and economic exchanges with Ghana.

“We know that the University of the West Indies can play a critical role in this because you are training the youth of the Caribbean. You have direct access in impacting their outlook on life. And we will encourage you to get some of your youth to come to Ghana to participate in the various activities that we have,” she stated.

— JIS