Studying medicine in the Caribbean can be a good experience for many and for some, a daunting one. The region is famed for its warm weather, sunshine, clean beaches, crystal clear seas, lively populace, vibrant culture, vibrant nightlife and tasty cuisine.
The region has also started making strides to remove its dependency on the plantation economy and has also been reducing its dependency on tourism. Apart from being vacation hotspots, the region’s islands have active volcanoes and have faced tropical cyclones. Yet, human development has been improving.
Education and literacy have been making strides as well. With economies of certain nations and islands like Sint Maarten, Saba, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, Saba, Montserrat, Barbados and St Lucia have been improving their standards.
Medical education in the Caribbean has been improving too, thanks to improvements in the healthcare system. The World Health Organization (W.H.O) has been helping the Anglophone nations of the Caribbean in improving the quality of healthcare and medical education on equal footing.
Let us now examine the island nations of Saba and St Kitts and Nevis:
Saba
Is Saba a good destination for medical education? Let us find out:
The island of Saba is controlled by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and is considered a part of the Caribbean Netherlands. The island’s main international airport has the world’s shortest commercial runway.
Saba can also be reached through ferries daily apart from air travel. The ferries travel on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Some travel daily. Saba’s harbor is known as ‘The Bottom’ and Saba University School of Medicine is not far away from the harbor.
This island is close to Sint Maarten. As a result, it connects easily to major cities in the region, North America, South America and Europe. Going to these places from Sint Maarten is possible through major airlines. Windward Islands Airways flies daily to there. Reaching the island of Saba is not a problem.
Cost of living on Saba is lower than that of Canada, United States, Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico and Guatemala. The tax rate is progressive, healthcare system is robust, and residents are guaranteed privacy, security and comfort. This is how the island improved its healthcare.
The following are the recreational activities that are available on the island:
- Hiking
- Shopping
- Snorkeling
- Fine dining.
- Arts and crafts.
Studying medicine in Saba
The Caribbean is famed for helping people have another look at life, de-stress themselves and start getting back on track. The laid-back culture, humble populace, vibrant life and illustrious climate have helped many get memories of one of the best places on earth.
Saba University School of Medicine has been supporting hospitals on the island not just by means of the World Health Organization’s (W.H.O) initiatives but also through physicians graduating from that school as well as taking the lead in healthcare initiatives that have gone beyond the island.
How good is St Kitts and Nevis?
St Kitts and Nevis is part of the British Commonwealth and is a sovereign independent state. It is located on the chain of the Leeward islands of the lesser Antilles. In terms of area in population, it ranks as the smallest nation especially in the western hemisphere.
Being a twin-island federation country, it was first a plantation economy where sugar was grown chiefly. Following the reduction of sugar prices, the country decided to diversify its economy into other agricultural crops, tourism, light manufacturing and education.
Basseterre is the nation’s capital, and a hub for tourism, healthcare and medical education. University of Windsor is among both the country’s and the region’s prime medical schools, followed by Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, International University of the Health Sciences, University of the West Indies, Medical University of the Americas and the International University for Graduate Studies.
Thanks to the presence of renown universities and medical schools, healthcare on the island turned around with a good fortune. The country is a member of the World Health Organization (W.H.O) and has actively participated in the organization’s initiatives for healthcare and medical education.
Thanks to the efforts of the government of St Kitts and Nevis, the universities on the island have started attracting American and Canadian students, who also work for some time in the country upon graduation (pregnancy pillows).
