DISCUSSIONS have begun between the University of the West Indies (UWI) and the Government of Guyana for the establishment of a medical school in New Amsterdam, Berbice, Region six.

This was on Sunday revealed by President Dr Irfaan Ali, who was at time addressing a gathering of medical professionals at the commissioning ceremony for a new state-of-the-art pathology lab at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

“Today I am pleased to inform that the University of the West Indies School of Medicine has now approached us to be a part of this vision in bringing their campus here to Guyana and negotiation and discussions would have commenced,” the President shared.

The establishment of a medical training facility here has been on the cards for the government since an agreement was signed for the construction of a new modern level five hospital at New Amsterdam.

“So we’re talking to the University of the West Indies and moving the possibility of a school of medicine now to Region Six that has the capacity of bringing students from Suriname, but importantly in the negotiations, we are now working on ensuring that the rates is the same as local students in Trinidad and Tobago. So there will be equity and quality matched together,” the President said.

Just last month the sod was turned for the US$161 million facility in New Amsterdam which is set to be equipped with all modern facilities to conduct transplants and other major surgeries.

At that ceremony, President Ali had touted that training will be a major component of the hospital.

The new hospital will feature five operating theaters, one specifically for cardiac surgery, and advanced digital X-ray, and CT scan machines. It will be the second public facility to house an MRI machine and will be equipped for transplants. Two additional buildings will be constructed within the compound – one for a teaching facility and another for a modern psychiatric facility.

Once completed, the new facility will be linked to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) which will be connected to Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and other major hospitals around the world in telemedicine.