Major medical development
Thursday July 07 2011 | 09:33 AM

BARBADOS stands to benefit to the tune of $200 million dollars per year in foreign exchange over the next five years, and that is just a conservative estimate.

This is due to a major development which will see this country being at the forefront of the global medical tourism market. At the heart of this push will be the former St Joseph Hospital in St. Peter, which is set to become the site of a new world class hospital and will feature several specialty treatment centres, biotechnology research companies and patient accommodation facilities. 

News of this was released yesterday by Invest Barbados and the development has been hailed as a major one. 

“This exciting initiative brings a national asset back into productive use in a way that will generate foreign exchange, international investment and tax revenue, as well as employment and skills training and technology transfer,” stressed Wayne Kirton, CEO of Invest Barbados. 

The initial investment will in the first phase provide jobs for about 200 Barbadians with the estimated construction and equipment cost of the first phase of foreign investment being some BDS$92 million. 
Once operations begin, approximately 230 persons will be employed at the facility in a range of job categories with the point being stressed that locals would be hired whenever possible.

Minister of Health, Donville Inniss, expressed his confidence that the development would be of strategic importance for the development of the health care industry on the island. 

“Of equal importance for the future of our country is the opportunity for Barbadian healthcare professionals to work alongside leading US surgeons in employing the latest medical techniques and equipment to improve patient outcomes. While medical care will primarily be provided by US physicians and healthcare specialists, Barbadian professionals will be able to collaborate with them on a daily basis in working with patients. These professional partnerships, as well as the introduction of new research and specialty care facilities to our infrastructure, will provide significant benefits in terms of both technology and skills transfer,” he added.

He also made it clear that the collaboration between health care officials in both countries would not have a negative impact on the number of local healthcare professionals available to serve Barbadians’ need.
The project will be handled by American World Clinics (AWC), which was described as “a corporation that supports certified American physicians – by providing them with a favourable practice environment in which to provide the highest standard of medical care to an international clientele”.

Registered as a Barbadian corporation, American World Clinics expects to attract investors from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom who are interested in the potential of medical tourism. The primary market for AWC’s hospital and care services and facilities in Barbados will be patients from the UK and North America, but treatment will also be available to Barbadians and other international clients seeking private medical and surgical care.

“Our role is to support what is, we believe, the most respected healthcare brand in the world – board-certified American physicians – and we believe that Barbados has the quality of life, educational facilities, and technological resources to enable us to achieve our strategic goals as quickly as possible,” said Dr. Paul Angelchik, a plastic surgeon from Phoenix, Arizona and CEO of AWC.

“We have been particularly impressed by the prudence and sophistication that the Government of Barbados has demonstrated in considering our proposal,” added Robert Priddy, an experienced healthcare executive and AWC President. “We intend to work with its officials closely in the years ahead to meet the interests not only of our physician-members, but also of the people of Barbados.”

Invest Barbados’ Kirton pointed out that the estimated tourism value of patient visits will be in excess of BDS$50 million per year for accommodation, food and beverages, taxi services, car hires and other related goods and services.

AWC’s initial hospital facility will offer a wide range of services – urologic surgery, orthopedic surgery, bariatric surgery, ENT surgery, general and gynecologic surgery, ophthalmic surgery, dental surgery, plastic surgery, dermatological treatment and medical research. Specialty centres for neuroscience, cardiology and oncology will be developed in conjunction with the main AWC hospital facility.

In return for AWC’s construction and operation of the facility, the Government of Barbados will lease the property for a period of 25 years, with an option to renew for a further 25 years.