Energy Firm Pledges $30-Million for Virgin Islands Med School

The University of the Virgin Islands has received a $30-million commitment from energy and mining company New Generation Power and its chairman, Chirinjeev Kathuria, to establish a medical school on the island, Caribbean Journal writes.

The school will be developed in collaboration with the U.S. Virgin Islands’ two hospitals, Schneider Regional Medical Center on St. Thomas and Juan F. Luis Hospital in St. Croix. Plans for the school have been in the works since 2010, with assistance from the Boston University School of Medicine. The university said it will need to raise another $10-million to bring the medical school to fruition.

Dr. Kathuria, who holds a medical degree, and New Generation recently signed an agreement to develop a solar-power project on the University of the Virgin Islands’ two campuses, according to a press release from the Chicago-based company.