Pandemic tops health conference agenda

(CNS): It will come as no surprise that the coronavirus pandemic will be top of the bill for this year’s health conference, with speakers all making COVID-19 a central part of their planned presentations. The annual event, hosted by the Health Services Authority, is in its eleventh year but 2020 will be a little different when medical professionals come together virtually for this one-day event this weekend.

The public will be able to attend via Zoom or watch CIGTV online or on TV. The theme for the event is “Re-envisioning Life with a Pandemic”, and speakers will tackle COVID-19 Facts, Myths and Latest Trends, as they lift the lid on behind the scenes work in the sector during the pandemic, the impact of the disease on cancer patients and mental health.

There will also be a panel discussion called “COVID-19 Community Experiences”, which will feature various stakeholders and community groups in Cayman sharing what they have gone through over the past few months.

The HSA has been using various forms of telehealth to consult with and triage patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, including telemedicine robots, video chats and telephone. HSA Medical Director Dr Delroy Jefferson said it had bridged the gap between patients, physicians and health systems.

“In the context of COVID-19 it plays a crucial role as a clinical tool, potentially helping to reduce the spread of the coronavirus to the populations and to the front-line medical staff. The Cayman Islands is a regional forerunner in the embracing of this technology,” he said about the topic he will focus on.

Dr Javier Perez-Fernandez, Medical Director of the Critical Care Unit Baptist Hospital and a recognised world authority in the management of patients with COVID-19, will be presenting facts on the pandemic and the virus itself, including treatments, advanced technologies and the experience of his hospital in South Florida, which has dealt with over 7,000 COVID-19 patients.

“The COVID-19 pandemic continues affecting the entire world. With more than 32 million people infected and close to one million deaths, it has modified our way of living and marked our lives once and forever,” Dr Perez-Fernandez said. “The impact of the disease in the elderly cannot only be measured by the clinical consequences but by others such as modifications of their contact with their loved ones, their daily activities and their housing.”

Visit the conference website to register or for more information,
or contact Laurie-Ann Holding by email at laurieann@kellyholding.com
or call (345) 623-8824.