The Tribune

A BAHAMIAN-OWNED health system, already positively affecting the lives of Eleuthera residents, has begun expansion and is eyeing hospital status for the end of 2022.

Already offering 24/7 emergency room and urgent care services, Bahamas Wellness Health System, with three locations on Eleuthera and one on New Providence, said it offers the largest, most advanced emergency care facility on the island and is poised to become the first privately managed hospital in the Family Islands, excluding Grand Bahama.

“We are capable of providing advanced cardiac life support, and advanced trauma life support, staffed by highly trained and experienced emergency physicians, nurses, paramedics and technicians, supported by advanced life support ambulance services — the first and only in Eleuthera — and a fully functioning on site STAT lab making us the only facility in Eleuthera and Spanish Wells Urgent Care with the capacity to rule out, confirm and begin definitive treatment for heart attacks and other major illnesses,” Bahamas Wellness President Dr Arlington Lightbourne said.

“The continuous expansion of our Palmetto Point main campus includes the creation of our Surgical & Intermediate Care Unit (SICU).”

He said the SICU will offer a broad range of ambulatory surgical services and the best general and specialist Surgeons, along with anesthesiologists in the country.

Some examples of procedures to be offered are gallbladder removal, breast lump removal, hernia repair, plastic surgery among others.

According to a press release, the SICU will also offer five admission beds allowing the facility to provide hospital level overnight care for sick, but non-critical patients who would otherwise need to be flown to Nassau for hospital admission.

The Eleuthera medical centre plans to add an additional 15-20 medical/ surgical beds to complement the five intermediate care beds that will be in the SICU.

The hospital expansion is expected to be brought to fruition through a joint venture partnership with a leading healthcare system in the country.

According to Dr Lightbourne, the SICU will become a life link for many people, reducing the need for medical evacuations to New Providence.

He described the expansion as the beginning of Bahamas Wellness’ move to bring world-class health services to potentially other Family Islands.

“While our priority is to fully develop the businesses we currently operate, our vision does include expanding our wellness driven medical centres to other islands throughout The Bahamas in partnership with native physicians who wish to return to their island,” he said. “We are early in plans for expanding our wellness mission very soon with a strategic move into the fast-food industry.

“The ambulance allows us to bring these services to the patient, saving critical time and lives. We are the only facility that offers coronary reperfusion thrombolytic therapy through our close partnership cardiologists, especially at DHHS. Moreover, we are the only medical centre offering 24/7 X-ray and soon CT Scan services, fracture care, including casting and extensive wound care.”

Bahamas Wellness was founded in 2016 as a small private wellness clinic in Nassau and has since expanded to its main location in Palmetto Point, Eleuthera, Urgent Care Services in Spanish Wells and satellite laboratory in Lower Bogue, Eleuthera.