By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

A HEADS of Agreement was signed yesterday by the government for a new medical school in Freeport to be built in phases at an overall investment of $64.2 million over a 10-year period.

The signing – held at the Office of the Prime Minister in Freeport – is the second major project approved and signed by government in Grand Bahama since Hurricane Dorian.

It was announced that Western Atlantic University School of Medicine would lease about 50 acres of land from the Public Hospitals Authority to build a 98,000 sq ft medical school campus, beginning at the end of the year.

The project will be carried out in four phases and is expected to provide 150 jobs during peak construction with 200 permanent jobs available at completion in 2029.

The first phase would be completed by September 2020 when the university is expected to hire between 50-75 Bahamians.

Signing on behalf of the newly formed Western Atlantic University was CEO Peter Goetz.

Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said the signing represented an important part of the recovery effort in Grand Bahama.

“In order to rebuild Grand Bahama and Abaco, we must spur economic development and job creation. This development represents a significant investment in Grand Bahama, the country’s second largest economy,” he said.

“This major development will inject hundreds of millions of dollars into the local economy over time and provide direct and indirect opportunities for scores of residents,” the prime minister said.

According to Dr Minnis, it is estimated that in the university’s first 10 years of operation, Grand Bahama would benefit from a combined $200 million in revenue as a result of student and faculty spending on housing, food, entertainment, goods and on-island transportation.

The medical campus will be located on land near the Jack Hayward High School. It will include university-owned housing for faculty, staff and students on campus.

Dr Minnis said that the school should be ready for occupancy by September 2022 at the end of phase three, to accommodate growth to 500 medical students by September 2023.

Phase four is scheduled to begin in late 2022, he stated, allowing the physical expansion with ongoing construction. And by 2029, he said campus enrollment is expected to reach 1,000 students.

During the construction phase, he said Western Atlantic has agreed to an overall ratio of 80 percent Bahamian workers to 20 percent non-Bahamian workers.

He also said the University is committed to recruiting qualified Bahamians for all posts, including faculty positions. “Whenever possible, and when candidates present nearly identical skills, experience and qualifications, the university will adopt a ‘Bahamian first’ mantra,” he said.

Dr Minnis also indicated that the school will offer employment positions to Bahamians for all non-faculty staff that encompass a breadth of disciplines, including management positions and opportunities for advancement at a ratio of 80 percent Bahamian to 20 percent non-Bahamian.

It was noted that approval to operate the campus will be contingent on the university obtaining accreditation from the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP), or an equivalent body.

Western Atlantic will also work toward receiving accreditation for its students to be able to practice medicine in the US, Canada and the Bahamas.

Dr Minnis said the medical school will work with the University of the Bahamas to expedite and ease the application process for eligible and interested UB students.

He said the university will make up to five concurrent scholarships available to the government through the Ministry of Education for Bahamians wishing to attend Western Atlantic University.

“The scholarships will cover the cost of both basic sciences and clinical sciences tuition and tuition-related fees. This development has the potential to attract global talent and build international connections,” Dr Minnis said.

For his part, Mr Goetz said that Grand Bahama is an ideal “superb” location and opportunity for the campus because of its proximity to the US.

“We can’t believe we are lucky enough to be the first to open a medical school; the second sort of – we tried this once before, but now we are ready. We were ready then, but we had some political obstacles out of our control,” he said.

He noted that WAUSM has an experienced team of executives, including University President Joseph Flaherty, former dean emeritus at Ross University School of Medicine from 2011 to 2017, and who was previously presiding as dean at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, one of the largest medical schools in the US.

Mr Goetz stated that the medical school will help to meet the “huge” demand for physicians.

“There is a huge shortage of physicians in US and Canada,” he said, adding that the American Medical Association has reported that there would be a shortage of 132,000 physicians by 2032.

He said: “We are here for the long run – the last time we were here, students were here for four months – our students are going to be here 20 months at a time. They will sign two-year leases when our first students come, their families are going to come. This is the renaissance of bringing youth and vibrancy to Freeport. We can’t wait to get started. I am so pleased to be home.”

Also bringing remarks, Minister of State for Grand Bahama Kwasi Thompson said the signing marks the government’s ongoing “aggressive economic” development agenda for the island.

“It’s been approximately six weeks since the hurricane. Today, we signed a second HoA marking approval and commencement of another major million-dollar project for Grand Bahama.

“The prime minister has made it clear that a significant part of the rebuilding process is to accelerate the process of investments, which will bring economic activity, critical mass of residents, and jobs for Bahamians,” he said.

Mr Thompson said the government’s agenda is to strengthen the medical tourism product, while developing tertiary education tourism for Grand Bahama.