Long-simmering questions over the status of offshore medical schools based in Belize have reemerged in public discourse, following a high-profile appearance by Minister of Health and Wellness Kevin Bernard at a joint commencement ceremony hosted in the beachside town of San Pedro this week. The event marked graduation for two institutions, Washington University of Health and Science and Columbus Central University School of Medicine, both of which cater almost entirely to an international student body, with most learners coming from North America and South Asia to complete partial in-person training alongside online coursework.
For years, third-party regulators and educational watchdogs have raised repeated red flags about the accreditation standing of these offshore programs, casting doubt on the global recognition of their degrees. In a public statement addressing widespread speculation about his attendance, Bernard moved quickly to clear up misinterpretations of his presence at the ceremony, emphasizing that he participated solely as an invited guest rather than an official endorser of either school.
Under Belize’s governing structure, the minister explained, oversight of higher education accreditation falls exclusively under the purview of the Ministry of Education, not his own health portfolio. Bernard added that he has received confirmation from both education ministry officials and institutional leadership that the programs have completed accreditation review processes in the United States. He also noted that data shared with him shows a high rate of successful placement for the schools’ graduates into U.S.-based medical residency programs, a key benchmark for international medical training programs.
Notably, Patrick Faber, a senior Belizean political figure who serves as chair of the online medical school’s board of governors, has personally confirmed that the accreditation process is moving forward as required, Bernard said. The offshore institutions have not been without controversy, however: regulators in multiple source countries for their student bodies have previously issued public warnings about the programs. Most prominently, India’s National Medical Commission has issued formal advisories alerting aspiring Indian doctors to the unrecognized status of these Belize-based institutions, triggering ongoing regulatory scrutiny overseas.
This report is adapted from a transcribed evening television news broadcast originally published online.