Antigua & Barbuda’s plans to establish a Cancer Treatment Facility has been broadly welcomed by government heads of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States.
The idea was pitched during the 50th Meeting of the OECS Authorities in Anguilla by the Principal Dr Conville Brown of Global Health Partners Ltd and Ambassador Dr Clarence Henry, after a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Health Minister Willmoth Daniel on November 18 and by Brown on the 19th.
The plan is to begin construction of a facility that could cost roughly US $10 million, early next year, possibly by Easter. It is further hoped that the facility will be opened by January 2011, after six months of construction and three months of installing and commissioning the equipment. Construction, maintenance and operational costs will be borne by the investor.
The Antiguan & Barbudan government has already committed to providing land space on the site of Mount St John’s Medical Centre for construction of the facility. It has also said it would waive duties on imports and equipment for the facility, which will be called Cancer Centre Eastern Caribbean. A further cash contribution, as an investment, has not been ruled out.
The principals had offered to finance the entire project but initial discussions with Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer delivered a different model that would allow Antigua & Barbuda and other sub-regional governments who opt in to partially own the facility.
Brown says the current proposed partition is 60 per cent for the principals, 30 per cent for the governments to share and 10 per cent for investors in the sub-region who also wish to buy in. The 30 per cent is split as 10 per cent for Antigua through Mount St John’s and the other 20 per cent can be purchased by the other eight governments.
Brown said the three core benefits for countries and territories that opt in are guaranteed access to discounts for government patients and self-paying individuals, the payment of dividends as return on investment and the opportunity to venture in the niche market of medical tourism.
The discounts have not been fixed but the idea is for insured patients to pay the full price of treatment, a 25 per cent discount for self-paying individuals and 50 per cent discount for persons under government schemes.
Governments who cannot front their investment are being offered a deal where they pay 75 per cent of the patient’s care. Fifty per cent would be the discount and the other 25 per cent would be payment towards their investment.
Staffing is still under review, but initial estimates are for two medical oncologists, two radiation oncologists and one paediatric oncologist. Nurses and technicians will also be needed for the facility.
One key expectation of governments that opt in is that they will send all cancer patients that fall under government schemes to the centre in Antigua.
“We will expect almost exclusive referral of government patients,” Brown said.
Heads at the Authority Meeting have reacted positively to the plan, calling it an example of regional integration that they were asked to join and committed to presenting their respective ministries of health for technical advice. It has also inspired the OECS Secretariat to redouble efforts to formulate a plan for providing access to tertiary health care.
“In general, this has our support and I think it is very positive,” Grenada’s Prime Minister Tillman Thomas said.
He’s also used the opportunity to once again call for one regional hospital. This is a feeling shared by Anguillan colleague Osbourne Fleming, who called for more attention for persons with renal failure.
“There are hundreds of people dying of kidney ailments,” he said.
Fleming, who has personal experience with renal failure, says he specifically wants to see a central dialysis centre or at least places where people can go for treatment. He also thinks there is a need for a facility where transplants can take place.
“This is welcomed by the BVI and we hope it will happen soon,” the Premier of the British Virgin Islands Ralph T O’Neal said.
While other heads consider their participation, Antigua & Barbuda, is moving forward. Doctors from the Cancer Centre Bahamas have already conducted one Professors’ Cancer Clinic, where they saw between 22 and 25 persons.
Another clinic is planned for December 11 and Dr Daoud Yacoub, an Egyptian oncologist who will be stationed at Mount St John’s come mid January, is expected to be available for consultation with patients.
It is the plan to have these clinics three or four times per year, in all territories using the government hospital.
Discussions to develop the facility were initiated by Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer with the involvement of the Antigua & Barbuda Investment Authority.
