By Francine Black, Staff ReporterPRIME MINISTER, P.J. Patterson has described the inauguration of the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions as a 'coming of age of the region'.
"It is a process to further strengthen our Caribbean destiny and to cement our place as a region which is internationally competitive in the academic and professional arenas," he said while speaking at the inauguration ceremony at the Office of the Prime Minister yesterday.
The body will be based in Jamaica and is chaired by Professor E.R. Walrowd. The executive director is Lorna Parkins and there are additional representatives from the region and international bodies who will also sit on the authority.
Among them are Sir Graeme Catto, president of the General Medical Council (GMC) and Dr. David Hawkins, Executive Director of the Association of Canadian Medical Colleges.
Last January, the British-based General Medical Council (GMC) had announced its intention to withdraw its accreditation for medical programmes offered at universities in the Commonwealth including the University of the West Indies.
The GMC's decision was due to an amendment to the United Kingdom's laws to facilitate the establishment of the European Union (EU).The body will accredit programmes at the medical and health schools across the region thereby allowing students to be certified to work in the health systems in the region.
In the meantime, the members of the authority are being encouraged to maintain the integrity in doing their jobs.
"It is of equal importance that the members of the Authority, which will perform the awesome tasks of ensuring standards, setting criteria, and selecting suitable persons as assessors and be persons of highest integrity," said Prime Minister Patterson.
