Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, has lauded the University of the West Indies (UWI) for investing $4 billion to create a state-of-the-art faculty of medical sciences.

Delivering the keynote address at the ceremonial opening of the UWI Faculty of Medical Sciences Teaching and Research Complex (FMSTRC), at the Mona Campus in St. Andrew, today (February 4), the Prime Minister said the facility “embraces the positive role of technological application for national and regional advancement.”

“This is a major investment, not only in the future of the university, and the faculty, but also in the human capital of Jamaica and the Caribbean region,” Mrs. Simpson Miller said, and called on the university to make the development of medicinal herbs a priority.

The Prime Minister said as the Government continues to place “renewed emphasis on scientific research…we are looking to the UWI to continue being a leader in research in this area. We need new scientific breakthroughs that can be translated into major economic gains.”

“This faculty represents excellence and future groundbreaking work in medical research and dentistry,” she noted, adding that the health system in the region will be the better for generations to come, because of the research work being perused at the Faculty.

Mrs. Simpson Miller said another area that will benefit from the centre, is sport tourism, as the Faculty is “providing an essential element in the positioning of Kingston as a possible home and training base for professional sportsmen and women.”

The Prime Minister also challenged the university to continue its programme of high academic standards, through the quality training that it has delivered over many years.

“Both the faculty and the research centre must also enhance the national and regional capacity for the productive application of new medical and scientific technology and knowledge,” she said.