The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

THE president of Doctors Hospital said yesterday that that the BISX-listed health care provider was gearing up to start its next medical tourism initiative in three to four weeks, having secured the requisite approvals to conduct its fecal transplant programme.

Barry Rassin told Tribune Business that the health care provider was still pushing to diversify its business in a 50/50 split between medical tourism and its current core, although he admitted that the process was taking a lot longer than he originally hoped. Still, Mr Rassin said that Doctors Hospital, which conducted the first cochlear implant in the country a few weeks ago, was looking to start up its fecal transplant programme, also known as bacteriotherapy.

“We have the government approval for a fecal transplant programme,” Mr Rassin said. “We are trying to gear that up as quickly as we can. I’m hoping to start that in three to four weeks. We already have six patients lined up for that. That will really put the Bahamas Medical Centre up to where it needs to be.”

Explaining the procedure Mr Rassin said: “You take the bacteria of a healthy person and put it into a person who has any kind of intestinal problem or neurological problem. They’re finding in a clinic in the UK that it is dramatically helping the people where nothing else can. We believe we can build on that, that’s medical tourism.”

Mr Rassin said that Doctors Hospital would be working with the Taymount Clinic in the UK. “Their backlog is 18 months and they will start sending us their American patients so we already have an instant market for the service. Those who don’t want to wait will come to us and they will let the American patients know that its easier to come here,” said Mr Rassin.

With regard to the healthcare provider’s stem cell aspirations, Mr Rassin said: “We have two applications before the government committee. They met in July and they don’t meet again until January. They wanted more information but they can’t deal with it until January so we are going to have to wait for government approval on that.” Mr Rassin said that he was looking forward to the upcoming annual Medical Tourism Association meeting in Orlando, Florida, where the company will be able to market its various programmes to countries around world.