From July this year, the Health Services Authority will start accepting applications for medical interns at Cayman Islands Hospital in George Town.
Eight medical students will undertake internships on a one-year rotation, spending three months working in each of four specialities – general surgery, internal medicine, obstetrics and child health.
Health Minister Mark Scotland announced last week that the Caribbean Association of Medical Councils had accredited the internship programme following an inspection and assessment of the hospital in early March.
The programme will cost the government $500,000 a year to cover the cost of accommodation for the interns and a salary for a registrar to supervise the programme.
Places in the programme will be available to Caymanian students and others studying medicine overseas, Mr. Scotland said.
“We have Caymanian students who study abroad, including at the University of the West Indies, primarily at Jamaica … for their medical degree. After the completion of their degrees, they are required to do internship programmes in various specialities before they can be issued with a registration and with a licence to practice.
“Over the years, there has been consideration to do an internship programme here. I asked the Caribbean Association of Medical Councils to come here to carry out an assessment of our hospital. They visited us … in early March and conducted an assessment to determine the readiness for the Health Services Authority in order to accredit us to introduce a programme of one-year rotating internships for the medical interns, so our students in Jamaica, or other students as well, could apply for internships here at our hospital,” said Minister Scotland during a government press briefing on Thursday, 2 May.
The Health Services Authority established an accreditation working group prior to the visit to ensure the appropriate structures were in place at the hospital to support the internship programme and was required to complete a check list prior to the Caribbean Association of Medical Councils.
The team came to Grand Cayman for a three-day visit in March to conduct their assessment of the HSA and Mr. Scotland said approval had been received last week.
The assessment process, which cost $8,000, was funded by the ministry.
The HSA and the Ministry of Health will create and appoint a registrar to supervise the interns, who will be eligible for registration as practitioners in Cayman while doing their internships under the Health Practice Law.
Eight medical students will undertake internships on a one-year rotation, spending three months working in each of four specialities – general surgery, internal medicine, obstetrics and child health.
