ROSEAU, Dominica – Nearly five years after Ross University left Dominica for Barbados under controversial circumstances after having been on the island for the past 40 years, the American Canadian School of Medicine on Sunday opened its doors to students.
Buildings to house the new American Canadian School of Medicine in Picard, Dominica. (CMC photo)Last year, Dominica had announced that it had after several months of negotiations, entered into an agreement with CSOM Holdings Limited for the operation of a medical school at the former Ross University Campus at Picard, north of here.
“Today marks a momentous occasion as we celebrate the inaugural white coat ceremony of the American Canadian School of Medicine,” said the President of the school, Kerry James, adding that the school is being launched from a “position of strength, with two internationally recognized accreditations.
He said while the emphasis is being placed on the students “ I would be remiss if I did not thank those who made today’s opening possible.
“I would like to make a special acknowledgment and offer words of gratitude to the many leaders of the government of Dominica…without your hard work and partnership, we would simply not be here today,” he said, describing the medical school as “a non-profit institution with a social mission”.
When he announced the agreement for the establishment of the school last year, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said it would offer a four-year medical degree designed for students who have already completed Bachelor degrees and will be run by an experienced team comprising doctors who have held positions at major universities in the United States including a former Vice President of Operations of the Ross University School of Medicine.
Skerrit said that most of the students are expected to come from Canada, the United States and the Caribbean.
Finance Minister Dr. Irvine McIntyre, a medical practitioner and former health minister, said the new institution will improve the socio-economic situation on the island.
“We have persevered, we hang in there and we finally got a school that is fully accredited. It is important. The ACCM and well as IAAR both of them are part of the World Federation of Medical Education. So that is good news for us and it is not provisional accreditation, it is accreditation for five years.
“So this is really a great day for us, I think the Portsmouth people, the northern region, Dominica on a whole we should be very proud to have a medical school…that has been well thought off …”Dr. McIntyre added.
The parliamentary representative for the area, Fenella Wenham, said the school “has long been awaited. I am sure the people of Portsmouth, the people of Dominica by extension will be more than elated…and to ensure that the school remains on Dominican soil”.
Ross University School of Medicine had said that the reason for relocating to Bridgetown for the beginning of the 2019 Spring semester was due to extensive damage done in Dominica after Hurricane Maria.
