After a $1 million investment, Doctors Hospital is re-opening the doors to its Blake Road facility, nearly nine years after it was forced to shut down due to a rough economic climate.  The medical facility is currently undergoing extensive renovations and targeting a reopening by the end of April. President of Doctors Hospital, Barry Rassin, said it was the opportune time to resurrect the center, given the rapid population growth of the western area of New Providence.

"The timing is right," Rassin said. "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."  The hospital will operate under a new name and will feature an emergency care unit to service the increased population in the area and provide elective ambulatory services for international patients seeking treatment in The Bahamas. Renovations have commenced and are reportedly on track for an end of first quarter opening.

The re-opened facility will also create new job opportunities for Bahamians, according to Rassin.
"We are definitely going to create additional jobs," he said. "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."

The center will also act as a hub for its medical tourism initiative, an area Doctors Hospital is already active in. With 16 percent of its business coming from non-Bahamians, the healthcare company is targeting to grow that number to 50 percent and capitalize on a $2 billion medical tourism industry.  Chairman of Doctors Hospital, Joe Krukowski, said the need to be aggressive in this market is vital, given the competition regionally and globally.

"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," Krukowski said. "The cost of such procedures should be competitive to the international marketplace." The International HIFU program launched at Doctors Hospital last year has been successful thus far, with 15 patients coming to the country monthly for treatment in various areas.

 It also creates a trickle-down effect, where patients that travel and bring their families tend to stay in hotels for up to 10 days - creating another stream of revenue. Rassin said the proximity to the U.S. gives The Bahamas a competitive advantage to capitalize on the medical tourism market, in addition to being the only Joint Commission International accredited hospital in the region.

Interest has already been shown by a number of local surgeons and physicians to maximize the western medical center for both domestic and international procedures.

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