St. Lucia debates over location of a US medical school
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The St. Lucia health minister says AUSOM will eventually move to its own premises, but sources close to the Wellness Centre say AUSOM has no plans to leave. |
In addition, it says, "Each student's medical responsibility will increase as their medical knowledge increases" and "AUSOM will be an integral part of the government's initiatives" towards enhancing national health care.
Health Minister Mondesir, responding on May 17 to Dr Anthony's disclosure, went on the defensive, saying the government had decided "to rent the space" to AUSOM because of an abundance of unused floor space and facilities at the complex, which offers 108 beds, an X-ray diagnostic centre, a 136-seat lecture hall, a library, laboratories and administrative offices.
Mondesir claimed the decision to rent was "to help the hospital earn money to pay for its upkeep."
The Health Minister said the AUSOM was "renting the space while searching for property to build its own complex."
However, a reliable source close to the Wellness Centre told China.org.cn, "From the very beginning, the agreement with AUSOM was for it to be located at the Millennium Highway complex and for its operations to be integrated into both national hospitals eventually."
Meanwhile, Dr Anthony says he is "further concerned" that a major principal in the leadership of AUSOM – a Caribbean national from the island federation of St Kitts and Nevis – had just completed a jail term in the United States.
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