American medical centre for Barbados will target medical tourists

AWC will open a hospital on Barbados for international medical tourists and locals. Winners Development, in partnership with American World Clinics (AWC) will jointly develop an international medical centre on Barbados. The $100 million project will be on a 21.5 acre site in St. Peters, Barbados and represents AWC’s first site.

AWC will open a hospital on Barbados for international medical tourists and locals. Winners Development, in partnership with American World Clinics (AWC) will jointly develop an international medical centre on Barbados. The $100 million project will be on a 21.5 acre site in St. Peters, Barbados and represents AWC’s first site.

American World Clinics is based in Glendale, Arizona, USA, and has created a unique business model designed around the exportation of US acute care medical expertise to desirable global locations.

The surgical specialty hospital will serve both international medical travellers and local patients in the Caribbean region. It will have 60 inpatient beds, ICU capabilities, 12 operating rooms, an interventional lab, and state of the art facilities for diagnostics and therapeutics. Multidisciplinary clinic space, including dental and concierge medicine, will be located next to the hospital. Later on a health and wellness spa run by a major spa group will be added.

Winners Development has created and collaborated on hospital and healthcare projects throughout the US. Winners will manage project funding, construction and campus development with AWC providing operational expertise, staffing, and marketing for AWC-Barbados.

Much of the project is still subject to local planning regulation and other factors still to be discussed with the Barbados government, such as whether local doctors will be used or American ones flown in. AWC advertising to US doctors suggest that while some will be full time in Barbados, many will be able to fly in for short periods and keep running their US practice.

Most doctors and dentists will come from the USA, but others will be considered. All doctors and dentists must obtain Barbados credentialing: The Barbadian government has assured timely review and licensing. All doctors and dentists will become a member of AWC-Barbados. Membership levels are: founding member, member, fee-for-service contract, or employee. An annual 30-day minimum practice period, either full- or part-time, is required at all membership levels.

Winners Development is a privately held real estate development company with experience in the development and construction of large-scale healthcare projects.

The original planned opening date was 2013, after AWC obtained in principle agreement from Barbados officials, but it has now been pushed back to 2014 or 2015. AWC-Barbados will be the first of a series of overseas hospitals primarily to attract and serve international medical travellers.