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Earlier in the news, you heard about the new tertiary hospital coming to Belmopan, and its change in location. But while the hospital won't be at UB anymore, the university will soon be opening its School of Medicine. That means some of the very same healthcare professionals that will be working in the clinics and hospitals will have graduated right from Belize's national university.
It's a huge step not only for UB but for the country as well. Today, they took our news team on a tour of the facilities located right at their Belmopan Campus. Courtney Menzies was there and has this story.
By the end of September, the University of Belize will have its first cohort of medical students. The national university its opening the doors of the country's first ever school of medicine, so aspiring medical professionals won't have to go too far to achieve their dreams.
It's a major step for UB and even for the region.
Dr Vincent Palacio, President, UB
"This means a lot. This is a true milestone moment for the University. You know, a medical school, a huge venture, and we're extremely excited and ready for all the challenges that it will come with. So it is it is a new day for the university. And as we heard from some of the presentations earlier, the University of Belize will not be the same after today."
"The medical school enjoy its own attention, bring its own people. So we're excited to push this medical school forward."
Dr Lisa Johnson, Dean, UB School of Medicine
"It shows progress, it shows development, it shows enlightened planning, enlightened leadership, it's an inflection point in our history, nationally, institutionally, and it will be so for certain persons so one can view this from a number of different angles but one that we must view it from is in terms of the country and what it means for the country and how it translates into the daily lives of each Belizean no matter where you are in the country, that at some point, we will be producing doctors that will touch all the lives in the country. It's a tremendous responsibility but it's a sign of growth and maturity as a country."
Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health
"I think it's a critical step and in the right direction where as you know, in the region, it's been a challenge in terms of attracting and getting medical professionals and so this can not only serve, it's not just a beacon of hope, but it's also going to be an opportunity for others in the Caribbean that can come and benefit from this and as I said in my message at the end that we want that this school of medicine be a model for the Caribbean."
And while there are those who have their doubts about UB's ability to produce quality medical professionals, Dr Palacio says they're ready to prove them wrong.
Dr Vincent Palacio, President, UB
"I have heard some of them, you know, their their doubts, their questions. That's why we're going the accreditation road with accreditation would come. It should be it will put us at that level, that quality level as our counterparts in the region. So I have no doubt that we could do this. The naysayers, they will join us eventually when they see indeed that the University of Belize could run a medical school."
Dr Lisa Johnson, Dean, UB School of Medicine
"The accreditation body that we will become associated with is the Caribbean Accreditation Agency for Medicine and other health professional schools and that in and of itself is accredited to the World Federation of Medical Education. So what that means is that our degree, once we follow the rules, keep our nose clean so to speak, and perform in the way that the international medical community expects that we perform then we will maintain our accreditation and that's something that not many institutions can say they have achieved."
And while the cost of the tuition is $25,000 per year, this first cohort have multiple scholarship opportunities:
Dr Lisa Johnson, Dean, UB School of Medicine
"The exam will also double as a scholarship exam where there will be tiered tuition waivers. The tuition is the largest part of the cost because if you ever looked at any gone through the fees of any fee structure of any university, you'll see tuition and then you see fees. And so we will have we will award one 100% waiver of tuition, one 75%, one 50%, and two 25% tuition waivers to the top performers."
Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health
"When we looked at the applicants that applied, we have found the resources that we we are able to then provide four scholarships for the schools of medicine and just as we do and the Ministry of Education who has also supported us through the Ministry of Health, with other scholarships, I think it's important that we show our support for that as well by offering four deserving Belizeans who would want to take on this challenge to become medical professionals and to take up this opportunity at the School of Medicine here at the University of Belize."
The placement exams will be held later this month, and the school will be opening on September 30th. r
