MONTEGO BAY, St James — The Spanish proprietors of Hospiten Jamaica have bought MoBay Hope, the private, not-for-profit hospital which was opened in 1997 to provide affordable health care for locals and visitors.

Details of the sale remained sketchy up to press time, however the Observer has learnt that the staff has been advised that their jobs will be safe with the new operators and that a timely, tangible and generous parting gesture will be made to them when the current operation is wound up.

Hospital Administrator Judy Farmer declined to comment on the sale last night.

“It would be premature for me to comment at this time, all queries should be directed to the board,” she told the Observer.

Since 2007, Hospiten has been planning to open a 60-room hospital in Rosehall to capitalise on a promising global tourism health market.

However, the immediate plan to buy out MoBay Hope was, according to reliable sources, triggered by the global economic downturn.

The Observer was unable to reach board chairman and founder of MoBay Hope Sydney Engel, for a comment last night.

MoBay Hope started out under Engel, a New York businessman and his wife, Sylvia in 1997.

Engel, who owns a home in Jamaica, subsequently rallied Montego Bay businessmen Jaime Delgado, Kumar Santani, Richard Russel, attorney Ripton McPherson, and South Miami Hospital Chief Executive Officer Wayne Brackin, to the cause 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, state-of-the-art facility which offers a wide range of services to locals and the island’s visitors, almost all of whom are referred to the facility when the need arises.

Locals pay less under its two-tiered payment structure.

However, it is not clear if the Spaniards will maintain the status quo when they take over.

Several other questions concerning the legal implications of selling a non-profit organisation remained unanswered last night. Among them the fate of any surplus that may be left over after the operation is wound up.