By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Doctors Hospital will add a further 22 jobs with the $7.7m investment in its Village Road diagnostic and imaging centre as it pursues the further build-out of its nationwide care network.

Dennis Deveaux, the BISX-listed healthcare provider’s chief financial officer, told Tribune Business that construction work on the 10,000 square foot facility located at the former bowling alley just south of Master Technicians is targeted for a summer 2025 completion with all equipment already acquired.

Its finish will be close to coinciding with that for Doctors Hospital’s Grand Bahama hospital, which has enjoyed a “minimal variance” of less than $500,000 from its $20m construction budget. And the New Providence-based Harbourside extended care facility, with a 38-bed capacity, is now “almost complete” to help address the island’s shortage of hospital beds.

Mr Deveaux told this newspaper that expansion to Abaco is “an area of discussion for us” in 2025, while Doctors Hospital is now moving to “finalise the business model” for its care facility in Rock Sound, Eleuthera, following recent consultations with communities on that island.

Signalling that the healthcare provider remains very much “in growth mode”, the financial chief said of the Village Road plans: “We’re doing great with that. All of the equipment; the typical bottlenecks with advanced imaging and diagnostics are equipment. All the equipment has been purchased and ordered.

“We’ve got into the construction phase. Walls are already framed up. It’s to the south of Master Technicians, the old bowling alley. It’s 10,000 square feet of space with an urgent care facility and full retail pharmacy. It’s quite an added layer of capacity for New Providence, especially for the eastern part of the island, as they don’t have to come into the hospital any more.

“We think construction will be done some time in summer next year. Once construction is done we will determine the time to turn it on. There’s usually a ramp up period. The investment in Village Road stands just under $8m; it’s $7.7m. With staffing levels, we’re likely to add around 22 new staff.”

Doctors Hospital has just under 1,000 total staff, its recently-released 2024 annual report pegging the workforce at 996 and featuring 796 full-time and 200 contracted workers. “We want to focus on growing out network and growing our national capacity,” Mr Deveaux added.

“We continue to progress with Grand Bahama. That hospital is on budget. We’re representing a minimal variance to budget of less than $500,000 on a $20m construction budget. It’s actually less than $500,000. It’s at the lower end of the budget for a hospital.

“We’re being very judicious with the capital budget. I think construction is likely to be done in the summer to fall of 2025. We’re holding to that timeline, and then will reach ramp up time.” As for the Harbourside complex on New Providence, Mr Deveaux said construction was close to completion after several changes in scope.

“Unlike the construction in Grand Bahama, Harbourside had quite a few changes to the scope of the facility to reflect what the needs are in the market,” he told Tribune Business. “Those changes meant extra time was needed to build it. 

“We are now in the final hand over process with the contractor. We’re getting landscaping done, a decision on the parking capacity is almost complete. We’ll make a decision on when we feel ready to open that facility. It has 38 beds on-site. That’s critical capacity for New Providence. There’s a shortage of bed capacity.

“That facility is virtually complete. Our investors look at the use of cash. That [Harbourside] consumed a fairly significant use of cash. Our total construction costs for that facility roughly approximate what it took us to build the Grand Bahama hospital. It was a fairly significant investment in in-patient capacity in New Providence.”

As for the Family Islands, Mr Deveaux said: “We’ve already given an indication of our plans for a facility in Rock Sound, Eleuthera. We are just finalising our business model. We did the stakeholder consultation in September to understand the community’s need and how we could be complementary to existing facilities like First Medical Centre and Bahama Wellness.

“It’s making sure we overlay and bring capacity that they don’t have on the island, and really being able to partner with them and fill the gap and provide more choice for the people in Eleuthera as well as improve the overall quality of care on the island. The only other area we’re looking at is the island of Abaco. We haven’t made any decision there, but that represents an area of discussion for 2025.”

Dr Charles Diggiss, Doctors Hospital’s president and chief executive, told shareholders in the company’s 2024 annual report: “The Doctors Hospital Village Road Signature Outpatient Diagnostic Imaging Centre, scheduled for opening in financial year 2026, will be equipped with state-of-the-art imaging technology, including advanced MRI, CT scan, ultrasound, X-ray and mammography systems.

“This technology allows for precise diagnostics and enhances the accuracy of medical imaging. The launch of this Imaging Centre represents a transformative step forward in elevating healthcare standards and advancing diagnostic capabilities within our organisation. We are elated about the positive impact this facility will have on improving patient outcomes and enhancing the overall quality of care.”

As for the 25-bed Freeport hospital, which is under construction at the First Commercial Centre, Dr Diggiss added: “The new Rockwell hospital in Grand Bahama is set to open its doors in financial year 2026, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to begin this new chapter in healthcare excellence.

“Rockwell will feature state-of-the-art medical technology, modern amenities and specialised care units to provide the highest quality of healthcare services to our patients in the Grand Bahama community and surrounding areas.”

Dr Diggiss added that close to 18,000 persons were now enjoying improved access to healthcare at all levels. “Our strategic focus on delivering the best value to our customers by leveraging technology and expertise, through the merging of innovation and industry knowledge, is apparent through our Loyalty Advantage Membership Programme (LAMP), which has seen exponential growth in the past year,” he asserted.

“To-date, LAMP has 1,245 active paying members, 8,031 NHI enrollees, 4,500 Baha Mar associates and 5,000 Royal Bahamas Police Force members. LAMP is working toward becoming a viable alternative financing arrangement to manage care at all levels. Via LAMP, we have realised increased affordability of our services by our customers/patients. This financial access tool is one way we optimise our fiscal performance.”

Doctors Hospital management said enrollment in its LAMP scheme grew by 42.2 percent year-over-year during the 12 months to end-January 2024. It added that the plan’s evolution has driven an increased number of patient visits to its care facilities as well as a rise in laboratory tests and diagnostic/imaging visits.