7 News Belize

AGUSM Bites Back, Says Smear Campaign Funded By Detractors
posted (May 2, 2013)
For the past two weeks, The American global University of Science and Medicine has been taking a pounding in the press – and the man driving the issue if Phillip Fawda Henry. He's made all kinds of claims against the school, saying basically that it's a sham operation. Well, today, after a press release and a phone interview, AGUSM came out swinging. The Medical school held a two hour media breakfast where there was a lively and illuminating exchange. Here's a small portion of that:…






Dr. Malik Soudah - President - AGUSM
"All I want from you guys - the media is to give us a fair shot to defend ourselves and present our case and our side of the story."

Jules Vasquez reporting
And so, this morning Dr. Malik Suda and his assistant Dean, Belizean doctor Dr. Eduardo Giovanni Solarzano as well as the president of the student government, Sarah Thompson - held a media breakfast to make the point emphatically that the school with campuses in San Pedro and Ladyville is legitimate.




Dr. Eduardo Giovanni Solarzano - Dean, Basic Science
"We have one campus in San Pedro at the moment which is Washington University of Health and Science. When we got the charter the other medical school moved to Belize City."









He says they teach science in classrooms in Belize for 4 semesters and six semesters clinical training in the US.

Dr. Malik Soudah
"When someone finishes from here, we take them back to the Clinicals. Our US and Canadian students go back to the States to these accredited hospitals where we teach them there clinical years. They sit for the United States Medical License's Exam."





Sarah Thompson - President - AGUSM Student Government
"I actually went to a different Medical School and chose to transfer here in January because the program is so advanced and the facilities are so nice. They actually teach their classes geared towards the US which I wasn't getting in a different University. I'm really happy with it. I have friends in State schools, in Caribbean Schools and a lot of them are actually looking into Belize and they are excited to maybe be a part of this program."

And that Ladyville Campus acquired in March is just being remodeled for September – it is not abandoned, as has been suggested in what he calls a smear campaign.

Dr. Malik Soudah
"We're taking the Summer to remodel the building and someone started a 'Smear Campaign' against the University. I don't know why the reason for that. They are saying that it is a 'shell school' and that 'no one is there'. That is absolutely not true. Unfortunately some of these people were misled and misinformed about the truth and I am not sure who is behind this smear campaign. All this negative press about the school, I don't understand. I am going to be honest with you - there is another Medical School in Belize and I don't even consider them competition for us, there isn't any competition. I don't know who this guy Henry is - is he Medical authority? Can he talk about curriculum? Can he talk about Medical School? He goes and spread all these lies about the school - he must be someone paid by someone. Do you get my point? Suddenly someone shows up at the campus and started trashing us in the media and started spreading all this misguided information and someone has to be behind it."


Jules Vasquez

"But how would you respond to the most specific allegation that it is a 'Diploma Mill' that students do not have to meet minimum requirements and that in fact they just enter your school so that they get a degree? In 2010 - full disclosure - I collaborated with Central American Health Sciences University to expose your school and it didn't make it to the air because the story was tainted. A doctor, Sergio Mendez."


(interrupted by Dr. Malik Soudah)
"He works for who?"

Jules Vasquez continues
"He is a phantom - he doesn't exist."

Dr. Malik Soudah
"Okay he is a phantom and then what happened?"

Jules Vasquez
"He is just someone that I plucked out of my office and I sent to the school as Dr. Sergio Mendez. This is how his case progressed."

Dr. Malik Soudah
"Can I ask you a question? This idea came from you or did someone tell you 'Why don't you hire someone?'

Jules Vasquez
"Sir, I disclosed it at the start. This entire sting was set up by Central American Health Sciences University. Let me finish. This 'Phantom' wrote to your school and said that he had finished XYZ classes at Central American Health Sciences University. He didn't provide any official transcript and there wasn't a request for an official transcript and he didn't provide any identification. He paid some money around $1,500us - I'm not certain of the figures as this was May 2010. I sent an employee of mine with a hidden camera up to the school in Belmopan. He went in and still had not presented his ID and they told him that they were waiting for him. He then entered a class and took out his laptop and they gave him notes on a PDF, they asked him a question in the class. This person never presented any certified record that they had complete one class which he had not and this person didn't present an identification."

Dr. Malik Soudah
"First of all, we know this was a set up. They know the admission trick and that they were trying to set us up. Why? To show the American Global that they are fake and 'diploma mill' and other stuff. But what you don't know and they don't know is that we follow procedures. Let me tell you what happened with this story. This guy came and said that he wanted to join the school. We said sure - fill out an application. This person filled an application - that is number one. He didn't just walk in the door and started a class. He did fill an application. If you go to online and you see the applications - there are documents that have to be presented in the application. He came and submitted the application. The way you presented the story you did not mention that. Number two - we did ask him to provide transcript and his answer was that they didn't give him transcript because it was a lot of money. We told him that we could have given him a 'provisional acceptance' - meaning he will come but he has 30 or 60 days to provide official transcript for us."

Jules Vasquez
"But no identification was provided. No identification exists. This person is a phantom."

Dr. Malik Soudah
"You know we contacted this person three days after this. This isn't a part of your story. We contacted him and said 'Excuse me - how comes you are not in school'. We did a follow up on his application. We have to be nice and follow protocol with anybody that comes to the school. I can't assume these are bad people trying to set me up, I have to treat everybody equally. So if someone wants to come to the school - fill an application and we give you provisional acceptance and then we do our own investigations. In three days this guy did not answer his phone. Did we issue a degree for him? Did we make him a doctor? Is he practicing in a surgical room? It's a set up."

Jules Vasquez
"He said I got a C in Human Biology and I got a D in others."

Dr. Malik Soudah
"That's fine"

Jules Vasquez
"That's not fine sir. That's very irregular."

Dr. Malik Soudah
"This is why we followed up three days after by calling him and the guy disappeared. We're accused of a 'degree mill'. When someone tries to set you up - I take it as an insult when people try to do these kinds of tricks on us."

Dr. Eduardo Giovanni Solarzano "At the end of the day - you have to pass the exams. If you don't pass your board exams - then it doesn't matter which school you went to then you will never be able to practice. So let's keep this behind us. This is bogus information."

And so they are moving on and say their campus is open for scrutiny.

Dr. Eduardo Giovanni Solarzano
"If you want to come today then you are welcome to come to our campus in San Pedro and we are there. This issue about we're not there and no one is answering their telephone; we need to clarify that because we are there."

As noted earlier in the story, the session lasted two hours, and ended with the undertaking that the media, the Ministry and all who care to visit will be invited to the re-opening of the renovated San Pedro Campus on July 16th.

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