PROFESSORS from the American International School of Medicine are currently in discussions with the regional authorities in Linden as they want to establish a branch in the mining town. The international university, located and recognised in several continents including Asia and Africa, has been operating in Guyana since 1999 with an established campus in Georgetown.Being the first international university to be established in Guyana, it has successfully graduated hundreds of students across the country who have successfully completed the medical programmes. These include the pre-medical programmes, basic science programmes and the clinical science programmes. These programmes allow one to progress from the high school level to being a fully qualified medical practitioner.

Dr Colin Wilkinson, a senior professor of medicine at the university, visited Linden on Monday, accompanied by a team from the university to make the initiative public. They informed prospective and current students of the initiative through a radio programme and engaged the Regional Chairman who pledged his support and expressed interest in having the university established in the town. He said that the medical programmes focus on equipping one with the skills to practise medicine, teach medicine and perform clinical research.

Dr Wilkinson said that he was persuaded by Regional Member of Parliament, Jermaine Figueira, who met with him in Atlanta, Georgia and expressed a strong interest in investing in the young people as he had a strong passion for education. He said that he was also encouraged by the overwhelming support given by the Regional Minister Valarie Patterson and other administrators.

“I’m very happy with the administrators of this region and vision and purpose in terms of what they are doing.” “It is very magnetic and will attract people of like mind and like interest to come together and with that I don’t see any limit in what can be achieved in a very short time,” he posited.

The five-year programme, which encompasses three semesters per year, should commence in Linden by September as the team is currently working on location and other logistics. The team is also putting systems in place for a modified tuition, which will include scholarships and sponsorship.
Dr Wilkinson is looking for dynamic, ambitious and intelligent persons to come on board. “We want the best qualified people because we want to train them in a way that they can actually breathe back into the community; we want the brightest minds and the people who qualify; we will teach them and train them, especially the people who are interested in working here and teaching here and will work to develop the community,” articulated the doctor.

Dr. Odones, Associate Professor of Medicine, said that he was very excited about the programmes coming to Linden as he had previously operated a clinic in that area. He said that the programmes would equip students with the skills of giving diagnoses. “For me it is a dream come through and it is a very joyful feeling knowing that people so talented and so brilliant, like Lindeners, will have the accessibility of something they deserve,” he said.

Professor of Psychology Shabake Fernandes said that most of the students in Georgetown were from Linden and the initiative would minimise the cost of transportation. MP Fegueira said that the response so far has been overwhelming, as he had already received several calls.