The Tribune

The Goverrnment yesterday officially completed the $29m lease-to-purchase deal that will see it takeover, and ultimately acquire, Doctors Hospital’s recently-completed Harbourside in-patient facility on East Bay Street.

The two sides staged an official handover and contract signing featuring Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) officials, who will take over the Harbourside facility at the former Red Roof Inn site to better support he delivery of urgent care and inpatient services.

Dr Michael Darville, minister of health and wellness, hailed the move as “a milestone” and a testament to what can be achieved with bold partnerships. The newly-acquired facility is designed to introduce an affordable care model that bridges the gap between high-cost private providers and public healthcare. 

Renovation costs for the urgent care facility are pegged at $215,000. The PHA said the move responds to rising public expectations by modernising service delivery and boosting the capacity of the hospital network.

The Harbourside purchase is designed to take the pressure off acute public hospitals such as Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH), and is designed to serve three primary patient care roles: Urgent and outpatient ambulatory care; inpatient step-down and extended care; and specialised care services.

Dr Darville said Harbourside will house an extensive laboratory and pharmacy network; diagnostic imaging; a 46-bed private capacity; a six-chair renal dialysis unit to treat chronic kidney disease and acute kidney failure; a pool for therapy and rehabilitation; speech therapy for stroke victims; orthopaedic cases; and trauma recovery.

The facility will be a revenue-generating commercial arm of the PHA, using a smart business concept called “cross-subsidisation”.

Present for the handover and contract signing were Dr Aubynette Rolle, managing director, PHA; Andrew Edwards, chairman, Board of Directors, PHA; Dr Charles Diggis, president, Doctors Hospital; Michael Jones, director/project manager, Inline Project Company; Owen Wells, minister of state, Ministry of Health and Wellness.

Dr Michael Darville, minister of health and wellness, told Tribune Business last year that the deal has been structured as a lease-to-own or purchase agreement with payments to Doctors Hospital spread out over 120 months - likely to ease the burden on an already-stretched Public Treasury and taxpayer. He signalled then that the purchase price was $39m, but yesterday it was given at $29m.

“The Harbourside medical hospital is a ten-year lease purchase agreement - 120 monthly payments with a total purchase price of $38.901m or thirty-eight million, nine hundred and two thousand, nine hundred and fifteen dollars,” the minister confirmed in response to this newspaper’s inquiries.

Dr Darville, in unveiling the deal to the House of Assembly earlier, said: “I would also like to inform this honourable House and the general public that final preparatory steps [are being taken] to occupy the new Harbourside East Bay Street, multi-bed hospital facility acquired from Doctors Hospital by the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

“This brand new facility was acquired by my ministry and I alluded to it during my last Budget debate communication.”