Belizean medical school will welcome students from India
Tonight, a new relationship between a local medical school and institutions in India is promising new opportunities to enterprising Belizeans. According to officials at the Central American Health Sciences University, Belize Medical College, a “twinning” programme has been established with the Vinayaka Mission of Salem, India. The partnership is designed to facilitate students from medical schools across India to study medicine in Belize. This afternoon representatives of both schools stopped by our studios to explain how the agreement, which anticipates the enrolment of a hundred and fifty students a year, will change the education landscape in Belize.
Dr. A.S. Ganesan, Pro-Chancellor, Vinayaka Missions
“It’s a five and a half year programme, the first three years will be done in Belize and the student will go back to India for doing the clinical training; that will be for about three and a half years. So the student gets to study in Belize and in India.”
Janelle Chanona
“Why pick Belize, of all places, there must be countries closer to India that you can set up such a relationship with?”
Dr. A.S. Ganesan
“Vinayaka Missions does have international ties with neighbouring countries, but this is the first time we are entering a relationship with a Central American university. Strategically it is very advantageous, for being closer to America, and of course there are students who would want to study in different parts of the world.”
Dr. Murali Rudraraju, C.A. Health Services University
“Whoever is going to give the quality and the experience that is required in the next few years, they will be able to play in that field. Right now with doctors, a severe shortage, not only in Belize but with the other countries also, it would be a requirement and there is aspiration from several young people, but the medical institutions are very limited and to set up a medical institution is not an overnight thing to happen. So for that, right now to prepare we are thinking that this will help them in the future.”
Janelle Chanona
“Long term goals, are you looking at maintaining that level of students a year or more students.”
Dr. Murali Rudraraju
“No, definitely not. This is a career, which involves life. We have to give a quality education and basically we have to maintain that number. We are targeting a number up to five hundred, which the school can accommodate with its existing facilities and probably expansion of the facilities more, but that is the number we can accommodate.”
The official signing ceremony for the Memorandum of Understanding is underway at this hour at the Belize Medical School’s campus at the Data Pro Compound at the Burrell Boom cut-off. The first students are expected to arrive in Belize next month.
