ICO backs keeping lid on Health City doctors’ details
Health City Cayman Islands
(CNS): The Information Commissioner’s Office has upheld a decision by the information manager at the Health Regulatory Services (HRS) not to disclose the detailed qualifications of medical professionals at Health City Cayman Islands (HCCI) because it is personal information which would not be reasonable to disclose. Balancing the public interest factors for and against disclosure, Acting Commissioner Jan Liebaers found the records should be withheld. But while the information manager was right to refuse the release, the commissioner highlighted continuing issues about the way IMs deal with FOI requests.
Having commented before about this issues, he said that public authorities must do better than propose exemptions haphazardly and late when dealing with appeals.
Justifying the reason why the records in this case should be withheld, Liebaers said there was a strong public interest in protecting personal information. He recognized that the public authority in this case is tasked with regulating the medical profession and accountable to the public that all medical staff are certified but the information in question is private, and with no suspicion or suggestion of wrongdoing by the doctors, the argument to disclose was weak, the acting commissioner stated.
“Private individuals who are by law required to provide their personal information to the government for regulatory purposes, have a reasonable expectation that their information will not be disclosed to the general public, barring any countervailing circumstances such as a suspicion of wrongdoing, or where the information has ‘expired’,” he wrote. “Disclosing such information may constitute a breach of their privacy.”
During the process of the appeal the applicant was invited to view the records but declined stating they needed copies and went on to appeal the decision to withhold the records.
Category: Government oversight, Politics
From the government’s website at http://www.gov.ky/portal/page/portal/cighome/pressroom/archive/200602/practicinginci
Cayman allows the registration of health practitioners who are fully registered, or eligible for full registration, in Australia, Canada, Jamaica, New Zealand, South Africa, UK or US, or those who have met the Caribbean regional registration requirements. The applicant is responsible for providing the council with evidence of his registration or eligibility for full registration in any of the countries listed above.
“This particular requirement does not exclude anyone from practicing in Cayman,” said Dr. Gerald Smith the Chairman of the Medical and Dental Council. “As a small country the Cayman Islands is not in a position to vet the qualifications of doctors wishing to practice here. We therefore selected a range of countries that is close to Cayman or from which we traditionally get many of our doctors.”
“Doctors who are not registered in any of the chosen countries could still be eligible for Cayman’s registration certificate,” he continued. “To be considered, however, they would have to write the board exam of any of the selected countries, or provide the HPC with documentation stating that their qualifications are recognized by any of these boards.”
So two questions: 1) Do ALL Health City doctors have board certifications from the countries listed in the first paragraph above, and if not 2) Have they taken the Caribbean Association of Medical Councils’ (CAMC) examination to meet the necessary requirements to practice in the Caribbean? Cayman is a member of the CAMC who have an examination process for doctors who did not train at a medical school not recognized by the CAMC and therefore, by association, the Cayman Islands.
That’s exactly how I feel when the Po Po stop me for speeding. You what? Want my license? None yo damn business!
How amazing that no one has mentioned joint commision standard that Health City was awarded. JC standard goes deep into policies and procedures and even deeper into the qualifications and expertise of the Doctors and clinical teams. Health city is fast building its reputation on the excellent service and outstanding care it provides. All of which would not be possible without qualified and experienced doctors and surgeons. Stop beating the drum on this excellent facility we as caymanians are so lucky to have on our blessed shores.
I’m more worried about the nurses that are being “certified” by some of our “accredited” universities.
Absolutely….most quite rightly display them proudly in their offices. I certainly don’t want to visit a doctor who want is professional qualifications hidden.
I don’t think the doctors at health city want or is hiding their qualifications but I would be livid if I gave my private employer a copy of my degree as part of the hiring process and my employer start copying and issuing it out to the public.
The bottom line is that HRS regulates doctors working here. These doctors would have had to satisfied HRS under whatever arrangements were made for health city’s operation here. If they weren’t qualified I doubt they would have received permission to practice medicine in Cayman.
Please do enlighten me as to how someone can use a copy of your qualification with your name on it?
It does seem a bit shady that they don’t want people knowing.
Compare this to the top law firms on the island who publish all of the attorneys’ biographies on their websites including qualifications and universities attended. The reason they do that it illustrates that they by and large select those educated from the top universities, and those with the best results. It’s good advertising for them. It makes us wonder why these doctors’ qualifications should be kept under wraps.
Instead of worrying about Health city employees , people should check in to staff at the Hsa…………………”…
Why don’t you check into the credentials at HSA and publish what you find? Heath City – Not wanting to publish credentials of professional medical staff is shady to say the least.
Their Credentials are published for the world to see on their website
It appears that most, if not all of the HSA doctors have credentials that are at least cross-referenced. I would not go to a doctor whom I could not at least research their credentials.
Professional (Medical) Qualifications are private, now?
Who knew?
I thought Doctor’s are supposed to be licensed to practice, based on public record prior qualifications, practical experience, and reputation/character – to include notarized testaments, certificates, referrals, proof of individual & cohort medical projects, etc.
All of Shetty’s medical staff/physicians should have a scroll of public information to share with the Cayman population, or anywhere in the civilized world they desired to seek employment.
What’s could be so questionable or offensive about their certifications (or lack there of?) that must be hidden? For example, if you are a (proclaimed) Cardiologist or Neurosurgeon, WE would like to know how you got to that point of your certification, and subsequently your career (at the Shetty Hospital), to present.
(Smdh) The Cayman Islands: Where Everything Is “Sensitive” and “Secret”.
Hear hear! As much as we want cutting edge health care, we need to support the “real” doctors who update their very costly industry certifications every year, pay high rent, and have paid their dues for decades instead of letting dolphin farm money flow through a so-called hospital- wasn’t this place promised to “only be for medical duty free tourism” and now there are dentists there? Huh…….I smell a money rat in a lab coat.
Dolphin farm money? Is that like our turtle farm money going ermmmmmmm missing!
Health City’s website has a listing of all of their doctors and their qualifications. These doctors are equal in skill to any posted on the websites of Baptist Hospital, Cleveland Clinic and even Mayo Clinic. BTW, I am still trying to find the list of doctors at HSA and their qualifications, or even some of the local doctors that are so bent out of shape because Health City is treating patients with respect, not charging them an arm, a leg and their next grandchild for medical care. Go Check out the website and see their qualifications, and note the number of procedures completed etc.
Well spearman, consider this; you cannot go directly to Health City, places like the HSA refers patients to Health City. Think about it…
HRS have a listing of all docs on a registry that is a matter of public record. According to this article the applicant was given the option to view register/qualifications but refused.
Docs display their qualifications but are under no obligation to take it off their wall and photocopy it to give it to a patient who is requesting a copy. This person wasn’t interested in seeing the degrees. Instead the applicant wanted copies. That’s the problem.
Also Health City is a private entity. FOI only apply to gov records.
The next time you are at a private doc office trying asking him or her to take down their degree and make a copy for you. Share the outcome please.
How curious. A big part of private enterprise marketing and promotion is based on the excellent qualifications and experience of the specialist professionals employed.
Fact is that all of the clinicians at health city had to be screened and their qualifications were closely vetted before being allowed to practice in Cayman. When the institution has a mandate of patient first and not doctor first mentality or highest medical outcomes for the patient before profit for the doctors, as a normal practice, then its no surprise Health City has over a 90% patient satisfaction rating. I wonder which other medical institution on this island or even up north has achieved that?
The doctor should be happy to show you his credentials when you seek his services. If not, you need a different doctor.
The showing isn’t the issue here. Asking for a copy of each of the doctor’s degree at a private hospital is.
The applicant or anyone for that matter could simply go to health city and ask directly if they think they are entitled to it. I would love to be a fly on the wall for those discussions.