New work permit requirements may imperil nascent medical tourism industry in the Bahamas

There is mounting concern in the Bahamas that the country is losing out on a potentially lucrative revenue stream to the Cayman Islands in light of slow approvals and restrictive work permit conditions for foreign medical specialists.

The Bahamas like many island-nations in the Caribbean, including Jamaica, Barbados, St. Kitts & Nevis and the Cayman Islands are aggressively developing medical tourism as an alternate revenue stream as a means to attract more capital and investment into the country.

The Bahamas Medical Council has recently increased the stringency of its work permit process, requiring doctors who come into coutrny to perform procedures a handful of times a year to be covered by a US$10,000 annual work permit, as opposed to being able to pay a weekly or otherwise pro-rated permit fee.

According to the president of Doctors Hospital Health System (Bahamas) Ltd., Barry Rassin, this requirement will increase the cost of patient care and as a result force patients to seek out services in other countries that offer the same service for lower prices.

Read more: Nassau Guardian