NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Thirty-nine graduates from the University of the West Indies (UWI) School of Clinical Medicine and Research have been sworn in as the newest doctors in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.
The graduates were robed and took the Hippocratic oath during an Oath Swearing and Award Ceremony on July 24th at the Baha Mar resort, Cable Beach.
Dr Kalere Edgecombe received the Dr Cecil M Bethel award for The Most Outstanding Student in the 2023 graduating class. Fellow graduate Dr Hannah Thompson was awarded the Dr Anthony Regis Award for The Most Outstanding Performer on the final MBBS Examinations. Four men were among the graduates of the 2023 class.
Dr Corrine Sin Quee, Director of the University of the UWI School of Clinical Medicine & Research, during her remarks noted that 2023 marks 75 years since the opening of UWI's first campus in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948. UWI has since grown tremendously, with campuses also in Trinidad, Barbados as well as Antigua and Barbuda. She further noted that UWI now has over 50,000 students and ranks in the top 150 universities in the world. 
Dr Sin Quee congratulated the graduating class for their achievements and acknowledged that the government of The Bahamas' commitment to UWI has been integral.
Education Minister Glenys Hanna Martin also extended congratulations to the graduates while acknowledging their hard work, sacrifice, and resilience.
"Coming through all of that was just the beginning. Ahead of you will be many tests and trials no doubt. Beyond your skills and training, beyond your resources and ingenuity, there is God and only God. Remember to always give thanks. May the almighty be at the foundation of your lives, and you be propelled to be all you can be in the medical profession," Hanna-Martin said.
Health & Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville during his address urged the graduates to remain humble and commit themselves to lifelong learning.
"The Ministry of Health and Wellness is on a journey to improve the quality of healthcare for everyone who utilizes public healthcare services. Coming out of the COVID pandemic, the challenges that existed for our tertiary health services became gaping holes," Dr Darville said. "There is a wide cross-section of challenges."
He acknowledged that there is no rosy picture to be painted of the state of the country's hospitals and clinics. Dr Darville noted that the country's public hospitals are receiving renovations, with the government also working to improve conditions at primary healthcare facilities in some of the more remote islands in the country.
Darville also acknowledged that there is a global shortage of healthcare workers. He noted that while the government of The Bahamas spends significant sums to train Bahamian healthcare professionals, countries to the north are continuously recruiting them.
The ceremony's keynote speaker Maureen Samms-Vaughan, Professor, Child Health, Child Development and Behaviour, Emeritus, UWI urged the graduates to be mindful that they are critical contributors to what economists call 'the public good.'
"Healthcare is recognized as a public good. You as young doctors are the human resources that help to make health a public good. You are The Bahamas' means to ensure that health remains a public good for persons in your country for years to come," she noted.
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