Prescription for Dependency

This paper examines the emergence of offshore medical schools (OMUs) in the Caribbean as an extension of the plantation economy. These for-profit education institutions are found throughout the Caribbean and primarily serve students from North America through Western-based medical curriculum. The extractive logic of OMUs reinforces the historical hinterland-metropole relationship through facilitating “brain drain” from host nations and prioritizing Western knowledge over local needs. Though OMUs increase the GDP of local economies, this relationship can form a dangerous dependency and exploit smaller nations.