Accreditation Medical School

The Daily Herald published a more detailed article about the rewardings for the Medical school. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte delivered long-awaited accreditation papers to representatives of the Saba medical school, commending them for their dedication and hard work. Rutte said that he is only the bearer of good news, which he called a salute to the Saba University School of Medicine’s efforts to become accredited. The university is unique in the Caribbean for successfully undergoing such intense scrutiny. The Prime Minister delivered the documents during a visit to the former Netherlands Antilles last week. The accreditation is expected to have long-term consequences for the prosperity of the island. The accreditation process ensures teaching standards are comparable with those in The Netherlands in addition to the university already catering to American and Canadian medical board standards and medical teaching practices.
Visibly elated and emotional, SUSOM Chief Executive Officer Steve Rodger and SUSOM President Dr. Joseph Chu received the accreditation, making the Saban institution the ninth medical university of The Netherlands. “This will ensure our future, we are so thrilled,” Rodger said. On arrival, Rutte met with a committee of faculty members and students in various semesters. He briefly chatted with them about their academic and living experiences on the tiny island. Surrounded by people, the Prime Minister took out a folder and announced to everyone’s surprise that in his official function he is presenting the university with its merited accreditation papers.
The delegation also toured the med school’s campus as many classes were in session. Rutter said he had not expected the campus to be as large as it is. He toured the computertesting centre that ensures the integrity of exams, and visited the cafeteria, which is run by a local catering business. Rodger told the Prime Minister about the difficulties involved in building on a mountain, including transporting structural beams for the new auditorium.
Rodger spoke of his vision for SUSOM’s further development talking about a new sophisticated facility which will hold a simulation surgery theatre, a birthing simulation centre and other upgrading investments.
Commissioner Chris Johnson showed Rutte the dormitories that are being built to house first-semester students, which will improve living-standard conditions for the student population. All student housing is privately owned by local businesses or Saban families, not SUSOM. This arrangement allows money from these international students to go to the local population, with families renting apartments or rooms in their homes to students. Students account for about a quarter of the population, said Commissioner Johnson. Their presence is a boon for purchasing power, the availability of product diversity and the local service industry, which would otherwise be overly vulnerable to fickle tourism trends.
Rutte said students from the U.S. and Canada can benefit from the slower, more relaxed pace of Saba. He asked about the island’s plans to manage growth of the population. Johnson responded that the student population provide cultural diversity. He also noted how demanding the intense study programme is on the students’ time leading to no significant disturbance to the tranquil community. He then informed the Prime Minister of another pivotal positive development in student tuition financing.
Rodger also said the university had been approved under the U.S. federal loan system, which provides money for American students to attend universities – some of which, like SUSOM, are international. “The students are quite happy as this will really help them out,” Rodger said. He added that getting the dual good news of accreditation for the university and loans for U.S. students make it a good week for SUSOM. “These are the two biggest things that could have happened for the university and they both happened in one week so it is a lot to take in,” Rodger said. “We are extremely happy.”