St Kitts med school ad shows SFGH on web site

THE offshore Windsor University School of Medicine in St Kitts has posted pictures of the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) on an advertising Web Page on the Internet inviting students to enrol. A purported programme of clinical studies conducted at the SFGH on behalf of Windsor medical students which was stopped by the Ministry of Health, is being probed. The Ministry is contending that no permission was given to conduct the programme of clinical studies. 

The Ministry’s investigations are continuing about the involvement of a team of doctors at the South hospital. A search into the background of the medical school yesterday revealed that its location is in St Kitts and was established by an India-born doctor of medicine. The school enrols mainly students from India and Indian-born  who live mainly in the United States. The school has its president, Srinivas Gaddam MD, Kuldeep Singh Gill MD, Ray Delavari (director of admissions) and Brijinder Gupta MD, who is the university’s Dean of Academic Medicine. The university also lists Trinidadian Dr Stephen Ramroop as a member of its Education Committee. Dr Ramroop has admitted his involvement in the programme. He heads the SFGH’s Accident and Emergency Department.

Ministry of Health officials yesterday expressed shock and alarm that a photo of the SFGH was used on the Windsor Web Page. Above the photo there is the caption — St Kitts hospitals. The page gives an outline of the university aims and objectives, but a top Ministry official told Newsday yesterday that the citing of a photo of the SFGH was highly erroneous. Contacted yesterday, Ramroop told Newsday that he was aware of the photo as well as a photo of Gulf View nursing home. “Any student could have taken those photos,” Ramroop added. As to whether it was appropriate, Ramroop said that the Windsor management would soon be issuing a press release on all the matters of concern which were raised in the Ministry’s confidential report. Director of Gulf View Nursing home, Dr David Ali, told Newsday that was unaware of any programme of training being conducted at the medical centre. He said, however, that three months ago, “a few Indian doctors I believe from there (Windsor) came and stayed at the nursing home.”