HEALTH CITY CI$100 MILLION EXPANSION ANNOUNCED: SECOND MAJOR HOSPITAL PLAN IN TWO MONTHS

Another major hospital development project has been unveiled for Cayman.

This time it was Health City Cayman announcing CI$100 million medical facility in Camana Bay in partnership with the Dart Group.

Work on the project was expected to start “within the next few months” with a timeline of two years for completion.

The facility will specialise in cancer care for both Cayman and overseas patients.

Welcoming the project which comes just two months after another major CI$350 million hospital project was announced, Hon. Premier Aden McLaughlin said reflects a commitment to position Cayman as a leading centre for medical tourism.

“This investment by Health City, it's another opportunity to further reinforce Cayman as the flagship medical tourism destination,” he said.

“My government will continue to support such opportunities and where possible we are committed to safeguarding the health and wellbeing for all who live in the Cayman Islands and for those across the region."

According to the Premier, in addition to the health and economic benefits, the project will also provide employment opportunities in the construction, medical and ancillary sectors as well as provide

opportunities for careers in the health sector.

Hon. Minister of Health Dwayne Seymour addressed the issue of the cost of healthcare and affordability which he said are matters that the government is looking into.

“My goal is to have ultimate health care security and close all medical gaps for islands. This means that no person would ever have to leave Cayman again for the life-saving or life-altering procedures. This expansion project brings us much closer to making that a reality”

He also said that he has been pushing for collaboration between the HSA and Health City to complement rather than to compete, “and I am pleased to see the growth and development of this relationship.”

Plans also include a satellite branch of the medical campus in Cayman Brac.

Mr Seymour called the project “a major step in ensuring all communities and residents of Cayman “regardless of geography to have access to affordable world-class healthcare”.

Speaking remotely from Dubai, Dr Devi Shetty, founder of Health City, said: “We will start a state-of-the-art facility for bone marrow transplant. Health City at Camana Bay will also have the most advanced Critical Care department for adults and children because we want every emergency patient requiring instant life support with the artificial heart demands to be treated within minutes.”

He also spoke of his dream “to see in my lifetime a kid from Cayman with magic in his fingers becoming a heart surgeon who I will personally train.”

Shomari Scott, Chief Business Officer at Health City Cayman Islands said expanding to where the majority of the population lives and works allows for better logistics and treatment for patients, especially when dealing with oncology and palliative care.

“We understand the burden placed on patients who need to travel back and forth to East End for their care,” he said. “We want and need to make health care easier, more comfortable and more convenient for our community.”

The project is being delivered in an undertaking between Health City and the Dart Group.

Dart’s Chief Executive Officer Mark VanDevelde said: “Health City’s decision to build their new campus at Camana Bay reflects our shared belief in the importance of planning for the long term and investing in ways that improve the lives of current and future generations.”

One concern has been the location of the facility in close proximity to the landfill but the Dart CEO assured that “with the landfill under remediation and new road infrastructure being built, Camana Bay’s continued growth is further testament to the private sector’s confidence in the country.”

According to Dr Binoy Chattuparambil, Clinical Director and Senior Cardiac Surgeon at Health City Cayman Islands, having a campus close to where the majority of people live and work would mean more lives saved – both adults and children.

“There are many incidences where time plays a significant role in the outcome of a treatment or even the life of a patient...so being centrally located will add much benefit to the quality of life and saving of many others,” he said.

On the issue of concessions, Health City Cayman Islands said it is not requesting any additional concessions outside of its original agreement with the Cayman Islands government.

It also said the services the expansion will provide will remain within the scope of the previously planned phases.

Once completed, this will bring to five the number of hospitals in the Cayman Islands.