Headlines and deadlines

Bahamas

Stem cell clinic approved

A clinic specialising in stem cell therapy has been approved by the Bahamas Ministry of Health, giving the green light for a US investor to develop the clinic on Grand Bahama.

The island’s first high-profile medical tourism outlet will be built thanks to a $5 million spend by Okyanos Heart Institute, which will cover equipment and construction.

Jamaica

Health tourism expands

The Jamaican government has talked up plans to expand its health tourism offerings, saying that all Jamaicans stand to benefit.

The expansion would enhance the quality of Jamaican healthcare and contribute to the economy

Anthony Hylton, Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister, said that the expansion would enhance the quality of Jamaican healthcare and contribute to the economy, creating many jobs.

Mr Hylton was speaking at a gathering of the business community in July. He also refuted claims that a developed health and wellness sector in Jamaica would widen the gap between the rich and the poor.

He said: “The poor will actually benefit from what would be centres of excellence created here in Jamaica to do things and to provide services, some of which are not now locally available, and means that they would have to find foreign exchange and travel abroad to get those services. We’ll bring those services here and they’ll be accessible to the wider public.

“Public/private partnership will be beneficial, because in most instances, the doctors are asking the government to partner with them and there are a number of good reasons why that is so. Part of it is providing land as part of the investment, and I think the government is keen to do that because through that kind of exchange, the government can leverage certain requirements as it relates to the wider population.”

Meanwhile, medical director of EMedical Global Jamaica Limited, Dr Neville Graham, highlighted Singapore and India as ideal models for the advantages created for local economies by health tourism.

Dates for your diary

A number of healthcare events are taking place across the region during the next few months

Clinical Endocrinology for Primary Care Physicians

American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics 38th Annual Meeting

30th Annual Fall Conference on Obstetrics

International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) 20th Annual Scientific Meeting

2nd Biennial Science of Global Prostate Cancer Disparities in Black Men

23rd Annual Conference on Hot Topics in Primary Care Medicine

13th Annual Fall Conference on Emergency Medicine

Medical CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy): Ten-Minute Techniques for Real Doctors

18th Annual Conference on Care of Women Over 50

28th International Papillomavirus Conference & Clinical & Public Health Workshops

MPS consulted on local guidance

MPS was invited by the St Lucia Medical and Dental Council to comment on their draft Code of Ethics & Standards of Professional Practice in May. We were also invited by the Trinidad and Tobago Medical Council to comment on their draft A Code of Ethics in the Practice of Medicine in July.

In doing this we were able to ensure that members’ interests were promoted in the creation of these important documents, which will provide guidance to medical professionals in St Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago.

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