In hopes of enhancing medical tourism in Jamaica, a group of physicians notes the development of an advanced artificial disc pioneered by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Kingsley Chin.

Dr. Chin, who was born in Buff Bay, Portland, used the new technology in a disc replacement procedure at Andrews Memorial Hospital in St. Anthony on February 1, 2017. Chin, CEO of KIC Ventures, a venture capital firm that focuses on the medical technology sector, also owns AxioMed, a health technology firm that developed the Freedom Cervical Disc. The company was founded to promote care standards for patients suffering from degenerative conditions of the spine. The new artificial disc closely mimics a normal disc by using polymer technology. The February operation performed by Dr. Chin involved a female patient with a prolapsed disc. Without the pioneering procedure, she would have had to undergo several spinal operations that would have left her with limited neck mobility. Dr. Chin worked with a team of medical professionals at the University of the West Indies, Rhodes Scholar Dr. David Walcott, Dr. J. Geoffrey Liburd of UWI and Yale University, and Dr. Patrick Toppin,

Dr. Chin, who was born in Buff Bay, Portland, used the new technology in a disc replacement procedure at Andrews Memorial Hospital in St. Anthony on February 1, 2017. Chin, CEO of KIC Ventures, a venture capital firm that focuses on the medical technology sector, also owns AxioMed, a health technology firm that developed the Freedom Cervical Disc. The company was founded to promote care standards for patients suffering from degenerative conditions of the spine. The new artificial disc closely mimics a normal disc by using polymer technology. The February operation performed by Dr. Chin involved a female patient with a prolapsed disc. Without the pioneering procedure, she would have had to undergo several spinal operations that would have left her with limited neck mobility. Dr. Chin worked with a team of medical professionals at the University of the West Indies, Rhodes Scholar Dr. David Walcott, Dr. J. Geoffrey Liburd of UWI and Yale University, and Dr. Patrick Toppin, anesthesiologist. Dr. Chin was named one of the leading spine surgeons of 2016 by Becker Healthcare. Both a physician and an engineer, Dr. Chin is a team physician with Jamaica’s track and field team and works with the Institute for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery in Florida. He is also the founder and CEO of the LESS Institute, a philanthropic effort that has trained more than 200 surgeons around the world. Dr. Chin’s philosophy is focused on “less exposure surgery” methods that can be performed on an out-patient basis with better outcomes and experiences for patients than they may receive in a hospital setting.