By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A Grand Bahama-based medical school will “near double” the size of its campus and student enrollment following the signing of its latest agreement with the Government, the Prime Minister is asserting.

Philip Davis KC, speaking at the Heads of Agreement signing with Western Atlantic University School of Medicine, said that the deal will help “revolutionise our nation’s healthcare landscape” by also involving a partnership with the Ministry of Education to offer scholarships to Bahamians.

“Following the successful completion of phases one and two of the university’s development, we now move to advance phases three and four,” Mr Davis said. “I am pleased to note that the campus will see a near two-fold expansion in its facilities, supporting the accommodation of 1,000 medical students by January 2028.

“Across all phases, the continued development of Western Atlantic University School of Medicine has generated hundreds of jobs for Bahamians. And it will continue to create enduring careers as its operations expand. In phase four, set to begin in late 2028, the campus will continue its physical expansion, with enrollment projected to more than double over the following decade to a total 2,300 students by April 2040.”

William Colgan, chair of Western Atlantic University School of Medicine’s board of directors, told Tribune Business in an interview in April 2024 that the planned $25m expansion will create 200 construction jobs. He voiced hope then that building work will start “in the next three months” once all necessary approvals are received given that ever-increasing student enrollment will soon leave the existing campus “at breaking point”.

With the second phase expansion targeted for completion by September 2025, he added that the school’s presence is already having a significant impact on Freeport’s economy with average annual per capita spending by students and faculty members standing at between $25,000-$28,000 and $35,000-$40,000, respectively.

Confirming that 165 students were presently then on campus, Mr Colgan said Western Atlantic had targeted higher enrollment. “We had anticipated more students,” he conceded. “There are a number of contributing factors but, by and large, for a new medical school that’s had two years of operations, that 165 students truly, by anybody’s standards, would be viewed as a success.

“It was always contemplated that we would have three phases to build the medical school. The first phase has the ability to accommodate 250 students on campus.... We have designed building phase two, including the architectural and engineering plans. They are complete. They are in.

“We anticipate the school will need to expand its growth by September 2025. We’ll be at our breaking point, and will need to expand our capacity. We have the capacity to educate 250 students in the current structure,” Mr Colgan confirmed.

“Our plans are fully developed, they’re in at the Port Authority for permitting, and we’re getting ready to build the second phase of the medical school. We’re hoping in the next three months to begin construction. Phase two of the medical school is approximately a $20m-$25m construction project, and we anticipate similar numbers to phase one, creating about 200 construction jobs.”

Asked how much of an economic impact the school is making, Mr Colgan replied: “We actually have some scientific data, and the average student contributes $25,000 to $28,000 a year to the local economy and the average faculty member contributes $35,000-$40,000 in economic benefits to the community.

“For a new medical school, the goal is typically between 50-75 students a year, which would put us between 100 and 150. We were 165 students in the first year of operation. We were a bit more optimistic in what we could accomplish.”

Meanwhile, Mr Davis said of the newly-signed agreement with Western Atlantic: “As we look to scale up the footprint of the university, so, too, are we committed to guaranteeing that every motivated, medically-minded Bahamian has access to a transformative education.

“To this end, I am pleased to announce that the Western Atlantic University School of Medicine is partnering with the Ministry of Education to offer need-based scholarships to qualifying applicants. We recognise that the cost of higher education can be an insurmountable barrier for families with limited incomes, and so we are delighted to make these scholarships available to aspiring health professionals.

“As the university continues to build up its operations, as well as its reputation as a regional leader in higher education, it is also committed to securing and maintain full accreditation status through such reputable channels as the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other health professions,” the Prime Minister added.

“World class accreditation will enable successful graduates to develop reputable medical practices while opening up opportunities international knowledge sharing and cross-cultural partnerships.  Even more importantly, educating hundreds of new health professionals each year means The Bahamas will benefit from a more robust and better skilled medical workforce in-country.”

Mr Davis added that this represents “training the next generation of Bahamian healthcare workers” and helping to “build a healthier Bahamas”.