There is a new state-of-the-art surgical facility in Barbados which is promising to not only provide top-notch medical services to persons residing here, but to create added value for Barbados in the area of tourism.

Speaking on Monday evening at the official launch of Premiere Surgical Centre, the new ambulatory care facility located at 3rd Avenue Belleville, St. Michael, Giles Carmichael, one of the directors of the Centre, indicated that the new medical facility is well poised to help Barbados build out its medical tourism capacity and to become a leader in that field. He explained that the medical centre will allow persons outside of Barbados to access medical services here which are "excellent, efficient and steeped in best practice". That's because, Carmichael said, the facility has been outfitted to international standards.

"In due course, Premiere will therefore contribute nationally by reducing loads on our public medical facilities, combined with attracting needed foreign currency to the national economy... We've come a long way from our humble beginnings when George Washington visited our shores to our present state-of-the-art facility here at Premiere Surgical. We shall continue to relentlessly strive to traverse even longer distances in our ongoing pursuit of excellence," he said.

Adding to his comments, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Joy St. John noted that the inclusion of this type of facility to Barbados' health care system, the first of its kind, offers new scope in the quality and high standards of health care choices within the country for locals and visitors alike.

While touching on the topic of medical tourism, she noted that the World Health Organisation has predicted that health and travel will be one of the largest industries in the world by the year 2022. To that end, referring to the medical tourism potential of the centre, the CMO maintained that now is an opportune time for Premiere Surgical Centre to establish an excellent reputation for Barbados in the area of medical tourism, thereby branding this nation as a healthy tourism destination of choice.

"Indeed, combining the two sectors tourism and health will provide a more diversified tourism base. This would definitely boost Barbados' economic development and increase the amount of higher skilled and better paying jobs," she stated.

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