Latest update April 24th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jul 12, 2017 News
The University of Guyana [UG] could regain provisional international accreditation for its School of Medicine as soon as this month. This is based on the fact that a site visit conducted by the accreditation body – the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education Medicine and other Health Professions [CAAM-HP] – was deemed successful.
CAAM-HP is the legally constituted body established in 2003 under the aegis of the Caribbean Community [CARICOM] that is empowered to determine and prescribe standards, and to accredit programmes of medical, dental, veterinary and other health professions’ education on behalf of the contracting parties in CARICOM.
While measures are still being implemented to help the School of Medicine secure full accreditation, getting it to the place where it could potentially receive the provisional accreditation was set in motion with a supplemental budget subvention of $109.83 million from Government last year.
This is according to information provided by UG Vice Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith. Based on that information, the forthcoming funds from Government helped to cater to critical areas at the School of Medicine that needed addressing in order for re-accreditation to even be considered. Essentially, the funds helped to begin improvement works to the physical facilities, among other things.
Among the measures that the University has had to address, leading up to the CAAM-HP site visit, were the introduction of plans for a new Health Sciences Faculty, improved clinical and lecture facilities and other amenities for medical students.
Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Dr. Emanuel Cummings, had told this publication in December of last year “We did our best and we are awaiting a response; we don’t know what will be the outcome.”
Reports suggest that the measures implemented by the University, together with those of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation [GPHC], could be enough to guarantee re-accreditation. The GPHC has been working in collaboration with the School of Medicine to expose students to clinical practice.
As part of its site visit, CAAM-HP was tasked with assessing the measures implemented. CAAM-HP officials had also visited the GPHC.
According to CAAM-HP, the decision to revoke UG’s accreditation was taken because there were no progress reports forthcoming from the tertiary institution for the years 2014 and 2015. But the university was not in a position to submit these reports, since a number of measures had to first be put in place. Several of these related to infrastructure, educational resources, faculty and the curriculum itself, among others.
One of the concerns of CAAM-HP that had led to the withdrawal of international accreditation was the fact that there was no standing Memorandum of Understanding between the University, the GPHC and the Ministry of Public Health, making these clinical practice sessions formal.
But according to Dr. Cummings, not only has the MOU been signed, but a Committee is in place to deal with any issue raised by students regarding their medical training experience.
Dr. Cummings disclosed, too, that moves have also been made to introduce new teaching measures, whereby an adjunct faculty has been put in place.
This means, Dr. Cummings said, that staff will be given a contract that specifies allotted time for clinical work and teaching, allowing for a more structured and organised concept.
The School of Medicine has over the years been producing quality individuals who have gone on to advance their skills, and are currently excelling in their respective areas of medicine. Among those who have been identified are Dr. Mahendra Carpen, Resident Cardiologist at GPHC; Dr. Zulfikar Bux, Emergency Medicine Specialist at GPHC and Dr. Kishore Persaud, Kidney Transplant Surgeon at the GPHC.
But there is even more to be done if UG is to realise full accreditation status.
Against this background, Government last month signed an agreement with the World Bank for a US$13.3M loan, to help further the improvement efforts.
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