UWI-backed medical school to be located in Rupununi area – Pres Ali

– says investors from Brazil interested in financing venture

A University of West Indies (UWI) backed medical school will be located in Region Nine (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo), with President Dr Irfaan Ali revealing that this institution will be open not just to locals, but also to students from nearby Brazil.
There had previously been talks that UWI would help establish a medical school in Guyana, but a location had not been finalised. During a recent ceremony to mark the construction of a hospital and school in the region, President Ali spoke definitively on the subject.
According to President Ali, not only is Guyana expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UWI, but investors from the state of Roraima, in nearby Brazil, are interested in financing the endeavour.
“Very soon, we will be signing with the University of West Indies, an MoU, to establish the University of West Indies Medical School, Pharmacy School and Nursing School, right here in Guyana. And the regional authorities have already said to me, that there is a group of investors from the state of Roraima who want to invest in a medical school and medical facility.”

The Head of State expressed his administration’s readiness to build the school, one that would service Guyana and the region at large, using Guyana’s English-speaking environment to its benefit.
“So, I have this to say. Let us do it. Let us build in this region, with the support of UWI and the University of Guyana (UG), a medical school that can service the State of Roraima, this region and all of Guyana so that we can produce global medical practitioners from right here in this region,” President Ali also said.
Earlier this year, President Ali had revealed that the UWI School of Medicine had approached Guyana to have one of its campuses located in Guyana. At the time, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) had initially been identified as a prospective location for the school.
“When we launched the New Amsterdam Hospital, we said that in that facility we negotiated a building for teaching services and that message went out regionally and globally. I’m pleased to inform you that the University of the West Indies School of Medicine has now approached us to be part of this vision in bringing their campus to Guyana and negotiations and discussions would have commenced.”
“Importantly, in the negotiations, we are now working on ensuring that the rates are the same as local students in Trinidad and Tobago so there will be equity and quality matched together,” the President had also said, acknowledging that while the University of Guyana has its own Medical School, competition is “a part of life and a necessity in improving quality.”
Under the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) – a free scholarship initiative introduced by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government in 2021, over 30,000 Guyanese students, 75 per cent of whom are females, have benefited from some 345 programmes being offered by 19 universities across the world, including UWI.
In April 2024, it was reported that over 2000 Guyanese students had graduated from UWI programmes under the GOAL Scholarship initiative and another 650-plus students were enrolled at the time.
In addition to the UWI School of Medicine, it has been reported that the Guyana Government had also been working on securing degree accreditation from the regional institute for its new nursing school. (G-3)