BVI’s medical school likely before end of year
The BVI’s long-anticipated medical school is now likely to be fully up and running before year’s end if all goes according to plan.
This is according to Education Minister, Dr Natalio Wheatley.
Cabinet recently approved the recommendation for Tiber Health Public Benefit Corporation to establish a medical school in the territory.
Cabinet further decided that the Corporation should be granted a provisional licence pending accreditation by the Accreditation Commission on Colleges of Medicine (ACCM) and that a full licence be granted once accreditation through ACCM is obtained.
Speaking on the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) Let’s Talk radio programme last evening, May 25, Dr Wheatley said the US-based Corporation’s application was vetted through the Higher Education Licensing Board to secure its provisional licence.
Dr Wheatley said there was also an evaluation done by a committee that included a medical doctor and members of the licensing board before being brought to Cabinet for provisional approval.
“Really, it was a very proud day for me as Minister of Education,” Dr Wheatley stated. “We gave provisional approval to this group for a license to be granted and this group is going to be working feverishly to establish a medical school in the BVI before the end of this year.”
The Education Minister said the school will likely begin operations with around 50-60 students. However, it is expected to see some 200-250 students once at full capacity.
He said the presence of the students here is expected to offer a significant boost to the territory’s overall revenue and will also be able to accommodate local students who are interested in being trained in the medical profession.
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Talk is cheap
Fantasy is a next level
And still the can’t get a proper secondary school since after the hurricane in 2017
The circus continue
Most offshore medical schools saw a massive decline in attendance due to COVID. Most of their academic studies are now online, no need to move to territory.
As established schools are now struggling with student numbers, how will a new, unproven school succeed?
Especially one established in a cronies marina, that is not a campus, it is a sad, money-grab joke..
This idea was brought to the BVI government 10 years and they didn’t act on it. Sadly it’s too little too late!
This is good news.
Please go away Sowande. You are u——-s.
For the love of God what about the education of our youth? This is beyond unbelievable!!
So Medical school will be ready but the high school ain’t got a proper chair? I applaud you folks for your wisdom, keep it up! BVI we are going places and this administration will get us there!
THE HIGH SCHOOL GOT DAMAGED IN 2017 AND TO THIS DAY IT CANT BE FIXED AND YALL TALKING ABOUT BVI MEDIAL SCHOOL BY END OF YEAR. WHAT IS WRONG WITH POLITICIANS CAN THEY NOT SEE THE DISTRESS AND HEAR THE CRIES OF THE PEOPLE?
They don’t give a flying F**k about the distress and cries of the people. The only thing they care about is filling their pockets, How can a wife sit back and see and allow her husband to do something like that? Oh, let me guess, to live in a big house, drive a nice car and have bragging rights. THAT’S MY HUSSSSBAND. SOME OF YOU MARRIED WOMEN IS SO DARN COMPLICATED AND SUBMISSIVE.
Don’t forget that the same structure, legislation and higher education board that approved this school was set up by the NDP government. Remember your leader did a study that cost 700k that had no results. Andrew has been doing a lot of nonsense with tax payers money from ever since.
AND THE BEAT GOES ON. DA, DA, DA, DEE. WHO IS GOING TO ATTEND MEDICAL SCHOOL IN THE BVI MIGHT I ASK. PARENTS, IF YOU GET THE CHANCE TO SEND YOUR CHILDREN/CHILD TO THE US TO ATTEND SCHOOL PLEASE DO SO.THERE IS NO FUTURE HERE IN THE BVI FOR OUR SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN. THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM IN THE BVI IS IN SHAMBLES.
We can’t get Covid tests done correctly and on time, and now we are going to have a medical school? Strupes!
They set you lose to do damage control, its too late now…Plus you should have been the one to discourage all the wrong that was going on…U have lost most of your credibility…Not much people really interested in hearing what you have to say.
What person would go to medical school in the BVI…has to be someone who has never had any medical treatment here.
How about fix ONE of the clinics on ONE of the Islands?? It took me 3 and a half hours to get my vaccine shot in Virgin Gorda and there were 20 people in line. I think there were 3 people working in the reception area, and 3 teams of 3 people giving the shots (so 12 people giving 20 people shots = 3.5 hours wait). Yea, teach that one in your medical school!
Of all the bad ideas, this has to be one of the top bad ideas for the BVI.
and up to yet he cant get the high school restarted
Be glad something is coming on streem for gyou and your children sake. We have to start somewhere lighten up people
You would have said the same thing about BVIAirways.
Are you speaking of the same children who need to be educated to get into medical school?
Thanks to the NDP government for putting everything that was needed in place for us to have medical schools in the BVI. Now here comes Natalio taking praise for something he had nothing to do with. Nothing! Nothing! Nothing!
None of them ready …vip ndp or the pppp..people start vote for good people who got the country best interest at heart and not party or agenda please who like money more unto woman as well …hmmmm them is who make man want to steal …
Be glad something is coming on streem for gyou and your children sake. We have to start somewhere lighten up people
Dear Honourable Wheatley,
It makes more sense to fix up the high school first. Then the young adults who want to pursue a medical degree can continue their education on the island.
If we have a medical college, those who come to the BVI for that college most likely will leave once they are finish with their education. So how would this school benefit the young people of the BVI? This is putting the cart before the horse.
Where all them students going to stay??? Don’t tell me you going take away the farmers farm up paraquita bay for that I don’t think so
This man is going to get people seriously angry. YOU CANNOT WALK SO STOP TRYING TO RUN! Get the primary schools and the high school up and running to full capacity FIRST! That is all we are asking for. Who are we going to teach in the medical school?!?! Students who have had half a day of schooling for the last 4 years (and thats on the full days…. lets not talk about the disgrace that was 2020)?!?! Then you’re going to let them diagnose you?! In Fact – NO! We are demanding more now…. provide our children with a top level education from primary school through to 18. As a country we have more than enough financial support to do this….. GET YOUR PRIORITIES RIGHT!
I’ve just googled this Tiber Health Public Benefit Corporation. Apparently they voluntarily dissolved themselves on 24 March this year. And they specialised in psychiatry. Both of these factors concern me.
Am in the only one thinking we are a bit late to this party? Every other island in the Caribbean has a medical school. Duly established for years in some cases. This will be a start up. How are we planning to distinguish ourselves from the deer having arrived so late so that we actually get suffix to students enrollment to make worth our while? If it’s already being done elsewhere why are we jumping on the bandwagon? As others have said, let’s get our priorities straight and fix the glaring problems in our education system so that our children can get the solid foundation they so deserve and then we might find that we don’t need to be copy cats after all.
A successful country needs an educated citizenry in order to survive and to compete.
You cannot have a medical college without having a high school.
Now they are talking about a medical college, they have decided to give VG and Anegada a doctor.
People of the BVI, the writing is on the wall. Do not fall for these traps! Take notice and be prepare to vote next election.
Priorities priorities priorities….these Political parties could never understand and get that word right. Why the priority stuff never get done? They keep telling us things that they are doing that we didn’t ask for or that we don’t need right now when there’s more issues at hand that needs to be sorted out 1st.
This site is rigged against the government. I did 4 post supporting this initiative and up to now I saw none posted. This is a true conspiracy against the government.
A simple internet search reveals lots of undisclosed facts about this alleged medical school with its provisional BVI license to open a campus in an empty marina in Fat Hogs Bay. The campus in Ponce, PR looks like it is in a empty shopping mall. Also the curriculum seems more like a pre-med school not a medical school.
the population is 27,000 how can you have a medical school here. How many different cases will you be able to offer the prospective doctor to learn? Anyway, we will be used as ginny pigs under the scheme of making money for BVI. The primer is using other countries’ ideas and trying to fit them into BVI. We are really in serious shit now