News from St. Lucia- Information submitted by Chairperson St. Lucia Chapter, Dr. Christopher Beaubrun, MBBS, FCCFP

February 11, 2010

The St Lucia Chapter has had monthly executive meetings from November 2009 and hosted our first CME activity on 28th January 2010. These CME's will be hosted monthly

Of interest to us was that we had attendance at that meeting exceeding all expectations with close to forty (40) doctors from all over the island participating.  

Yes we did advertise and we did use the lure of CME credit hours, but as you may know the recently activated St Lucia Medical and Dental Council under the Health Practitioners Act is now in the process of registering doctors under the new act for the first time and subsequent re-registration(licensure) where CME hours will be mandatory. The current deadline for registration is 27th February 2010.

We assume this attendance is related to the upcoming mandatory CME and mirrors the Guyana experience when mandatory CME was enacted there.

It seems unfortunate that mandating CME is the way forward for enticing our colleagues to these activities, but if so be the case, then this is the direction in which we need to proceed.

The St Lucia Chapter has opened discussions with  the St Lucia Medical and Dental Council where our CME certificates will be recognised and in fact actively supported. We have already been approached to accredit a number of CME activities, Course programs and conferences.

Our efforts have primarily been on the local front, strengthening the Chapter in areas of membership, CME activities, streamlining procedures such as registration (within the chapter and regionally), accounting matters and the like.

Information about monthly Regional CCFP CME meetings via Elluminate will be shared with our financial members.