Volume 22 Issue 5: Feb. 2, 2012 - fp Turks and Caicos

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02 Local
February 2, 2012 _ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ www.fptci.com
Labour wants staffing
plans from businesses
The Labour Department is asking
businesses with 10 or more employees
to submit up-to-date staffing
plans by Feb. 29 as required.
The staffing plans should outline
details on key positions and
those held by ex-pat staff, including
where possible succession
plans for suitably qualified Turks
and Caicos Islanders (Belongers)
to fill ex-pat positions within the
tenure of work permits.
“The Labour Department is
playing an integral role in keeping
abreast with employers’ strategic
and human resource planning
process,” the department said in a
Jan. 31 statement.
Medical milestone opens door for medical tourism
knee continued from page 2
two hospital facilities, contracted
the surgeon through Global Med-
Choices, a U.S.-based firm that
offers global health care technology
and health services. Bresch,
who performed the nine surgeries,
said they went tremendously
well, and he was pleased with the
experience.
The visit was part of a larger
plan to bring patients from outside
the country to utilize the
state-of-the-art hospital facilities
for orthopedic surgeries. This is
particularly important for the
Grand Turk facility, which is currently
not used to its maximum
potential. Renting the facilities to
outside firms would create a potential
new revenue stream for the
cash strapped government.
“The project has been in planning
for some considerable time
and has involved not just Inter-
Health and surgeons, Global
MedChoices, but also the (National
Health Insurance Program)
team and (government)
representatives,” said Roger
Cheesman, InterHealth Canada
“Please note that this is important
in our decision making process
when considering applications
for labour clearances. Your
ability to forecast your (human
resource) needs and provide succession
plans will go a long way in
developing a process that is mutually
beneficial to both parties.”
A document to help businesses
prepare their plans is available at
www.labour.tc. For further assistance
and information, businesses
should contact Keisha Williams,
Human Resource Officer,
Labour Department, Providenciales
at 649-946-2801, extension
81519/81501.
CEO. “Our thanks go to all who
have contributed to this programme.”
“The ministry congratulates
the management of InterHealth
Canada and will continue to build
on this with the aim of making
the TCI a major medical treatment
centre for overseas clients
and to develop its revenue potential
in health tourism,” said Judith
Campbell, permanent secretary
of Health and Human Services.
GlobalMed Choices CEO Collin
Childress told the fp with its
close proximity to the U.S., the
TCI makes a great location for
such medical tourism.
With the growing cost of health
care in the United States, GlobalMed
Choices specializes in
providing patients and insurance
companies a global network with
improved standard of care at a
significantly reduced costs compared
to U.S. costs.
According to medicaltourism.
com, a total knee replacement
surgery in the United States can
cost up to $50,000. While the representatives
did not reveal how
much the procedure cost in the
TCI, experts say such procedures
SIPT hearing postponed
A sufficiency hearing set for Feb. 3 for former
Turks and Caicos Islands government ministers,
developers, lawyers and others facing corruption
charges has been postponed until March 9.
Chief Justice Edwin Goldsbrough has informed
prosecutors and defendants that a hearing
will be held Feb. 3, but it’s to handle administrative
matters only.
A sufficiency hearing will be held for government
prosecutors to convince a judge that there
is enough evidence to proceed with trials.
Former Deputy Premier Floyd Hall and his
wife, Lisa, are charged with conspiracy to defraud
the government for accepting bribes from
developers. Richard Padgett is charged with
bribery involving the aborted Third Turtle development,
and Jak Civre is charged with bribery
involving the Seven Stars resort.
Floyd Hall’s brother, former government Minister
Jeffrey Hall, and former Ministers Lillian
outside the U.S. can save patients
anywhere from 30-70 percent.
That equates to potential savings
of up to $35,000 for the patient,
while driving new sources of revenue
into the local economy.
“We anticipate bringing down
our own patients (to the TCI) …
helping to generate revenue for
the government,” Childress explained.
The medical tourism
industry worldwide is estimated
to generate $15 billion in revenue,
not including travel and accommodation
costs.
The GlobalMed Choices team
visited the TCI several times over
the past months in order to determine
if the procedures could
be done effectively here. The TCI
is the first Caribbean country
where GlobalMed is looking to
add to their network, and based
on the positive experience, it appears
this will be a fruitful relationship.
With nine successful surgeries
under their belt, Bresch said,
“We proved and validated it can
be done.”
Bresch said the brand new, state
of the art hospital facilities make
the TCI a great spot for the network.
“Also the infrastructure is
a big draw,” explained Dr. Bresch.
“We love it here.”
“The staff was amazing,”
Bresch said of the nurses who assisted
with the procedures. Resident
nurses were required to learn
additional skills in order to offer
proper support to the visiting surgeon.
“The nurses studied hard, and
we were impressed with their enthusiasm
and motivation,” Bresch
fp
Boyce and Samuel Been are charged with conspiring
with others to defraud the government
by distributing Crown land for profit.
Quentin Hall, who is Floyd and Jeffrey Hall’s
brother, and Earlson Robinson, who is Lillian
Boyce’s brother, are charged with accepting
proceeds from the transactions. Attorney Melbourne
Wilson is charged with money laundering
in those transactions.
Attorney Chal Misick, brother of former Premier
Michael Misick, is charged with laundering
bribes allegedly paid by developers of Dellis Cay
and Joe Grant’s Cay.
Many of the details of the allegations came to
light during a Commission of Inquiry in 2009
that led the U.K. to suspend elected government
in this overseas territory, take control under a
British governor and launch investigations into
allegations of widespread corruption of elected
ministers and others.
said.
Beyond the knee surgeries,
Bresch expects total hip replacements
and spinal surgery to be
other potential options the company
could offer to patients.
As for Stubbs and the other
eight patients who received new
knees, they are all recovering
from their surgeries as well as
being a part of groundbreaking
advances in the country’s medical
industry.
Medical tourism at a glance
In 2011 more than a half a million Americans
traveled outside the U.S. for medical
treatment, a number that is expected to
grow at a 25- 35 percent annual rate.
A medical traveler is defined as anyone
who travels across national borders for
the purpose of receiving medical care, not
including expatriates, tourists in need of
emergency medical care, companions accompanying
medical travelers, or multiple
NIB disputes gov’s $10m claim
NIB from page 1
fered to submit to binding arbitration
to settle the amount
owed from 1992, but the governor
declined both offers.
However, the governor has
said that he has tried to negotiate
with NIB but has been
unable to reach an agreement.
The governor has taken issue
with NIB statements that
he will be taking money from
pensions, even though the
money won’t come from funds
that pay pensions.
NIB conceded in its Jan. 30
statement that pension funds
wouldn’t be affected, but it
pointed out that 99 percent
of its $20 million surplus is
for death, dismemberment
and disability. Only about
$205,000 is set aside for worker
injury claims, according to
NIB.
“There is certainly not $10
million available from the
(worker injury fund) to cover
the costs of this transfer, so the
monies will need to come from
the Death, Disability and Dismemberment
Reserve Fund,”
NIB’s statement said.
Also this year, the governor
announced an amnesty
plan for those in arrears in
NIB contributions, including
millions of dollars the former
appointments that occur over the course of
one trip.
It is estimated that the market size worldwide
is close to $15 billion, not including
patient travel or accommodations.
The top procedures for medical tourists
from the U.S. include cosmetic surgery,
dentistry, orthopedics, reproductive, weight
loss surgery and health screenings.
Source: Patients Beyond Borders
elected government has not
paid for its employees. Those
who pay up by Feb. 29 will not
have to pay huge late penalties,
which was estimated at $11.8
million from government and
up to $4 million for the private
sector.
While the NIB’s $20 million
surplus is earmarked for medical
expenses, it can be transferred
to cover shortages in the
pension fund. NIB says that
$20 million should be kept to
cover the anticipated loss of
money caused by the amnesty
program or any other shortages
in NIB funds.
Eighty-year-old Mac Stubbs was one of nine local residents
who received a total knee replacement from Dr. Bresch
fpTurks & Caicos
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P.O. Box 257
Providenciales
Turks and Caicos Islands, BWI
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