Nairobi, Kenya – St. George’s University (SGU), a Grenada-based medical institution, is intensifying its recruitment drive in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Kenya, to increase enrollment in its medical programs. The university aims to provide students with opportunities to practice in over 50 countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom.
SGU offers an exclusive international medical program in Kenya that integrates clinical experience, cultural immersion, and community engagement. Medical students train alongside local clinical consultants in hospitals, gaining firsthand exposure to healthcare systems in both urban and rural settings.
Bradley Wade, SGU’s Regional Director for Africa, emphasized the institution’s commitment to increasing Kenyan student enrollment. “In Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, we have between 50-60 new students joining our program every year, with around 5-10 from Kenya. We are looking to expand this offering and provide more opportunities for Kenyan students,” Wade stated.
Africa faces a severe shortage of healthcare professionals. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Kenya has only 19 doctors per 100,000 people, far below the recommended 100 doctors per 100,000. Wade noted that a lack of access to medical education remains a key barrier.
“Being an institution specifically focused on medical training, we offer unrestricted access to qualified students wishing to pursue medicine. Our learners also benefit from unrestricted access to residency placements in hospitals in the US and UK, markets that remain elusive to many qualified professionals from other parts of the world,” he explained.
SGU’s School of Medicine currently enrolls approximately 3,200 students annually, with more than 22,000 having completed the Doctor of Medicine program by the end of 2023. The university has also been the largest provider of new doctors entering first-year US residency for the past 11 years.
The high cost of medical education remains a challenge for many students in developing countries. To address this, SGU is collaborating with African governments and non-governmental organizations to provide financial assistance. Partial scholarships are also available to support disadvantaged students.
“We are working with partners to ensure that students from disadvantaged backgrounds are not locked out of our world-class facilities. With a 95% US residency placement rate over the past five years, we continue to attract students from over 140 countries,” Wade said.
SGU is also strengthening partnerships with local universities across Africa, as well as institutions in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, and Ireland. This collaboration aims to enhance knowledge transfer and improve healthcare standards in the region.
David Anthonisz, SGU’s Executive Director for International Student Recruitment, reiterated the university’s mission to address the global physician shortage. “Our long-term goal is to help plug the worldwide shortage of healthcare professionals, not just in the US but across the globe,” he said.
SGU has contributed more than 23,000 doctors to the global workforce, with over 15,000 currently practicing in the US. Kenyan graduates from SGU benefit from access to over 70 hospitals in the US and UK, ensuring they gain international experience while also contributing to local healthcare systems.
