St. Lucia debates over location of a US medical school
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A large section of the "Wellness Centre" was rented secretly to the little-known US-based Atlantic University School of Medicine (AUSOM), raising the anger of the Opposition. |
The spacious complex, located on the island's Millennium Highway, has been extensively underutilized and the constant sea breeze from the nearby coastal beach has started having corrosive effects.
Nothing was known on the island of 160,000 people about AUSOM until Dr Anthony's revelation.
He disclosed that the offshore American outfit's application was supported by Minister of Health Dr Keith Mondesir and taken to Cabinet by Education Minister Arsene James, where it was approved.
The ex-Prime Minister said he was "both bemused and bewildered" that the present government "would locate a medical school at a psychiatric facility."
The UWP administration says it is placing high hopes on "Medical Tourism" as a means of income generation.
In his 2011-2012 budget address in April, Prime Minister Stephenson King said the government intended to invite and attract offshore medical schools to the island to tap the expenditure of students, teachers and visiting relatives, as was being done successfully with grenad's St. George's University School of Medicine.
Some four offshore medical schools already exist on the island, with AUSOM being the latest addition.
In its internet website posting, AUSOM says it is located at the Wellness Centre and that its students will be integrated into the new National Hospital Complex being built alongside the Wellness Centre.
It said its faculty students "will have hospital privileges and students will be exposed to the doctor-student relationship from their first semester."
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