CHENNAI: The Saint Louis University (SLU) in Baguio, the Philippines, has added a professional course in medicine to its bouquet of higher education disciplines under a joint programme with Sudhir Gopi Holdings Inc., a business consortium in the Caribbean investing in tertiary education.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Sudhir Gopi, consortium chairman and managing director, said the five year course, including one year of house surgeoncy, would be offered at the newly established International College of Medicine (SLUICM) on the University's six-hectare campus.

The Doctor of Medicine (DM) programme will be the equivalent of the basic MBBS course and will be taught by a predominantly Indian-international faculty. The St. Louis degree is listed in the WHO World Directory of Medical schools and is also recognised by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates in the U.S.

The administration of SLUICM and its student hostels has been vested with a prominent Catholic congregation in India, said Mr. Gopi. The admission process has commenced for the September intake from among prospective candidates in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, he said.

The eligibility criteria include a recognised Plus Two (or equivalent) degree with a minimum aggregate of 50 per cent. More details are available on www.sluicm.org

Sudhir Gopi Holdings currently runs several higher education institutions in India and abroad. Indian candidates constitute a majority of the 2,000 students annually across its institutions. The company is keen on launching a foreign University programme or a Deemed University in Tamil Nadu.

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