ROSEHALL, St James – As far as local hospitals go, MoBay Hope’s on the upper end of the scale with its salubrious waiting rooms, which are open to the public 24 hours.

That, coupled with its location at Half Moon’s definitely upscale Shopping Village in Rose Hall, tends to give the impression that the private facility is priced exclusively for the well heeled.

Few things could be further from the truth, as it costs $1,500 to be seen by any of the general practitioners at the facility on weekdays during the hours of 9:00 am and 4:30 pm as well as Saturdays between 9:00 am and 12:30 pm. Outside of these times, it costs $2,500 to be seen. And the use of a health insurance card reduces both costs.

“People have the perception that we are catering to tourists and the wealthy, but in truth and in fact our prices are comparable to any other medical facility, and in some cases even less,” said the hospital’s administrator, Judith Farmer.

It’s a great pity, given the lengths to which the institution has gone to make the facility affordable for locals – with up to 30 per cent discount for patients referred by the public hospital – and stay on the cutting-edge of medical technology.

Take, for instance, the drug Tissue Plasminogen Activator (TPA), a thrombolytic (anti-clotting) agent approved for use in certain patients having a heart attack or stroke. Long before the drug was believed to be available locally, MoBay Hope had been sourcing it from their American benefactors and successfully using it to treat patients in their emergency room. In fact, according to Farmer, MoBay Hope was the only medical facility in Jamaica utilising TPA – which it discounts to local residents at $240,000 per dosage, half of what would be charged in the USA – as thrombolytic therapy.

The hospital, Farmer said, has been using the drug since the facility was opened by a 10-member board headed by New York businessman Sydney Engel and his wife Sylvia.

Engel, a Jamaican homeowner, rallied Montego Bay businessmen Jaime Delgado, Kumar Santani, Richard Russel, attorney Ripton McPherson, and South Miami Hospital’s Chief Executive Officer Wayne Brackin, after suffering a heart attack, for which he was successfully treated here. He had originally conceptualised a cardiac centre.

However, that has since blossomed into a multi-faceted facility that offers a comprehensive range of services which will expand next January with a smoke-free programme under the mentorship of Dr Douglas Street.

Services offered by MoBay Hope

. Cardiology Consultant, seen on appointment basis

. Use of Stress ECG to investigate Ischaemic heart disease, chest pain and suspected heart attacks and arrhythmias (eg palpitations)

. Use of Echocardiograms to investigate valvular heart disease and congestive heart failure

. 24-hour ambulatory (Holter) heart monitoring

. Cardiac care recovery programme.

. Obstetrics & Gynaecology services focusing on prevention/early detection and treatment of cervical and breast cancer

. Routine pelvic examinations; Osteoporosis rehabilitation programmes

. Hormone therapy

. Treatment of menopausal symptoms

. Education of female population

. Family planning/contraceptive services

. Maternity Unit

. Fracture detection

. Ultrasound examinations, eg obstetrical, other abdominal, scrotum and breast, etc.

. Fluoroscopic X-rays, eg Barium meals and enemas, cholecystograms, IVP, etc

. Venous Ultrasound

. CAT Scans