The Tribune

A Bahamian attorney has taken proactive steps to boost the country’s attraction as a medical tourism destination, completing a Certification in Health Care Compliance with emphasis on Latin America.

Senator Cheryl Bazard, founding president of the Bahamas Association of Compliance Officers (BACO), completed the course from the University of Miami’s School of Business Administration, Executive Education programme last month.

“One has to be proactive and qualify oneself so that when the expertise is needed, you are ready to act,” said Mrs Bazard.

We should never wait to catch up with the market. Rather, we should anticipate it. We should be progressive thinkers.”

Mrs Bazard was the Caribbean’s only representative at the three-day educational and training programme, which provided strategies and instruction on building a robust, healthcare, due diligence environment.

The course provided participants with the “knowledge and experience they need to successfully navigate the increasingly complex pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device regulatory environment”.

Mrs Bazard’s course ran from October 23-25, and was attended by compliance professionals in the health care industry from Argentina, Brazil, Panama and the US.

The course covered aspects of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the UK Bribery Act, Anti-Kickback Statute and the Williams Act (USA), which is concerned with bid rigging.

It also focused on the ethics, reputation and sustainability of the health care industry. Participants conducted a review of the Industry Health Professional Codes and Standards of Latin American countries.

The course was facilitated by professors from the University of Miami, and industry practitioners including Professors Anita Cava, Clivetty Martinez, Michael Scher and Antonio Caram.