Bioprist Institute of Medical Sciences to open local institution in August

Dr Guna Muppuri, founder and chief executive officer of medical conglomerate Bioprist Group, is on a mission to make Jamaica the number one destination for medical education in the Caribbean.

It is a vision he conceptualised 20 years ago, and is on the verge of actualising with the establishment of the Bioprist Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS), located at the Grand Ridge Medical City in Ironshore, Montego Bay, St James.

The institution is slated for opening in August, and will be a state-of-the-art facility, featuring technology-driven and interactive learning. Muppuri said the school’s curriculum will focus, in part, on artificial intelligence in medicine, utilising 3D and augmented reality technology supported by Microsoft.

The US$26-million, 50,000-square-foot property will accommodate 400 students in person, with the option of online classes also available.

Speaking at a press conference at the Indian High Commission on Tuesday, Dr Muppuri contended that the demand for doctors has increased since the pandemic. He said the institution, which is a prelude to a future hospital, will serve as a “knowledge-manufacturing facility”.

“Prior to the pandemic, the requirement for medical professionals and doctors was about 36,000-39,000 doctors. But due to the pandemic the current requirement is about 149,000 doctors, that means it has gone up by about three and a half times,” he said. “There’s an acute need for doctors in short order, so where are we going to find the doctors?”

BRIDGE PROGRAMMES

He noted that BIMS received its charter from the Government of Jamaica in September last year, and its accreditation in December.

Boasting a student-centred approach, BIMS has also collaborated with The University of the West Indies, as well as other international universities on bridge programmes.

Declaring that the opportunity is “enormous”, the medical doctor, who made Jamaica his home 31 years ago, said an important vision of BIMS is to “build bridges through knowledge empowerment”.

To this end, he has pledged $4 million in financial aid - $1 million per year for the duration of their studies - to each child of any member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force who decides to study medicine. This is 20 per cent of the tuition payment.

He has also extended this scholarship to members of the India diaspora living in Jamaica, The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, and Cayman.

“Just like what I did for the Jamaica Constabulary Force, I am extending this gift of knowledge donation to the children of the India diaspora. I am giving back to the homeland which gave me the birth, the education, and knowledge,” he said.

However, he stressed that the student must meet the academic criteria to be enrolled in the school and must maintain a good grade point average while enrolled.

Meanwhile, stressing that Jamaica and India both share a value for education, India’s High Commissioner to Jamaica, Masakui Rungsung, said Jamaica is the only country in Latin America and the Caribbean that has expressed interest in establishing an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campus here. IITs are prestigious, central government- owned, public technical institutes located across India.