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Last Updated: Jan 19, 2012 - 12:55:38 AM |
Doctors Hospital President Barry Rassin recently removed all of the ‘For Sale’ signs that had littered the front lawn of the hospital’s Blake Road medical facility for nearly nine years. Doctors Hospital’s Board has approved a decision to re-open the western hospital to serve both local and international patients. (Photo: Doctors Hospital)
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Nassau, Bahamas - Nearly nine years after the events of 9/11 and the subsequent downturn in the local economy forced the closure of the visionary Western Medical Plaza, Doctors Hospital's Board has decided to re-open the facility.
Operating under a new name, the full service hospital will provide an emergency care unit to service the expanded population that now lives and works in the west as well as provide elective ambulatory surgery services for international patients seeking treatment in The Bahamas.
"The timing is right. We are at a point where we are ready for the international market and the western end of the island is ready for our facility to re-open," said Doctors Hospital President Barry Rassin.
Doctors Hospital expects to invest in excess of $1 million to re-open the Blake Road facility and establish a dedicated International Patient Department.
In order to maximise efficiency and return on investment, Doctors Hospital will utilise existing staff as much as possible to complete the physical plant renovations and upgrades, but Mr Rassin says this new development will generate additional full-time jobs for Bahamians.
"We are definitely going to create additional jobs. We expect to start with 20-25 additional Bahamian Associates, some from clinical fields, others will be in support services including the dedicated International Patient Department," he said.
Renovations have already begun and all of the services in the facility will be completely tested before patients are brought back in. The Board is optimistic that they will be able to begin treating patients in the west by the end of April 2012.
Already Doctors Hospital has begun aggressively working on its marketing strategy and campaign to attract its core target markets in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.
Globally, medical tourism is a $2 billion dollar a year industry and Doctors Hospital continues to get an increasing number of inquiries about elective procedures available to international patients.
As it stands, 16 percent of Doctors Hospital's business comes from non-Bahamians, but the Hospital's goal is to grow this number to 50 percent.
"We need to continually be looking to increase our revenue sources and volumes so that we can continue to provide clients with new and improved medical procedures," explained Doctors Hospital Chairman Joe Krukowski, "The cost of such procedures should be competitive to the international marketplace."
A number of local surgeons and physicians have already indicated their commitment to utilizing the western medical plaza for both local procedures and for treating international patients through The Doctors Hospital International Patient Department.
Doctors Hospital already has a successful HIFU programme, which brings about 15 patients to The Bahamas each month. The International Patient Department will market weight loss surgery with Dr Charles Diggiss, cosmetic surgery with Dr Greg Neil and spinal fusion and hip and knee replacement procedures with Dr Valentine Grimes and a team of American surgeons.
Doctors Hospital is also developing key partnerships with local hotels that are suitable for accommodating surgical patients and providing the level of concierge service that will be necessary.
It is estimated that every international patient who travels to The Bahamas for treatment will bring as many as three family members or friends with them for support. These additional visitors will need places to stay, restaurants to eat in and things to do while visiting and their medical vacations tend to be a lot longer than a traditional vacation.
"They may only be with us for a day, but they will tend to stay in The Bahamas for a week to 10 days for recovery and follow-up," said Mr Rassin.
Interest in The Bahamas as a medical tourism destination continues to grow as North American and Caribbean patients seek alternatives to having procedures done in their home countries.
Some of the factors that give The Bahamas a competitive edge over other countries already providing medical tourism are the fact that English is the native tongue and the Bahamas is very close to the United States. Added to those components are the facts that Doctors Hospital is the only Joint Commission International accredited hospital in the region and has committed to providing prices that are lower than can be found in the patients' home country.
© Copyright 2012 by thebahamasweekly.com
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