CAAM-HP New Year’s Message, 2021

The Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and Other Health Professions extends warmest wishes to all its stakeholders for a healthy and rewarding new year. 2020 was for everyone worldwide, a very challenging year. The fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected many of our members who have had to resort to innovative ways of delivering their programmes, while we in the Secretariat have endeavoured to carry out the monitoring and quality assurance responsibilities of the Authority without sacrificing our commitment to excellence and consistency.

From time to time this commitment will meet upon challenges and even legal and other manoeuvrings from various quarters. The Authority resisted the incredible and unprecedented pressure brought to it in the past year knowing that the effectiveness of its mission lay in the preservation of its credibility and consistently upholding standards of excellence in medical education, without fear or favour. 

It is safe to say that CAAM-HP has, since it began operation in 2004, accumulated a solid reputation for reliability, fairness and transparency among all its stakeholders, including other accreditation bodies worldwide. The Authority jealously guards its international reputation as a reliable promoter and facilitator of the highest standards of education in medicine and other health vocations. 

CAAM-HP’s accreditation decisions are recognised by other accreditation bodies such as the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME), the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) and the US Department of Education’s National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA). In addition, the Executive Director is often invited to make presentations at conferences hosted by agencies such as the ECFMG, the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB), Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC), among others. CAAM-HP also maintains membership in quality assurance organisations such as the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and the International Quality Group (CIQG) as well as the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE).

We look forward to continuing to work with all our members and international partners in the upcoming year to ensure the very best medical education and training in other health professions.