-President Ali announces, says discussions ongoing for nursing degree programme

THE University of the West Indies (UWI) has signalled its support to collaborate with the Government of Guyana in establishing a medical school at New Amsterdam, Berbice, Region Six.

Guyana’s President, Dr. Irfaan Ali during a recent commissioning ceremony for an oil-and-gas training facility in the region, disclosed that discussions between the government and the tertiary institution have been fruitful.

“We have just concluded the arrangement where the University of the West Indies School of Medicine will be our education partner, here in Berbice, training doctors,” President Ali said.

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.

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 theatres, 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.

Discussions however are continuing with the university to offer a nursing programme. This the President said will align with ongoing works by the country’s health ministry to upskill nurses by providing more training opportunities.

“I had talks again with the university’s school of nursing and I’ve instructed the Minister of Health to get an agreement with the University of the West Indies to have their nursing programme accredited to the new school of nursing that we’re building in the region, so that the children in Regions Six, Two and 10, who will be doing nursing will be having a University of the West Indies nursing degree,” President Ali said.