Seymour: New hospital will need to be different
(CNS): Following a presentation to government about a speculative development for another hospital geared towards medical tourism, Health Minister Dwayne has said it would have to be offering something different to get the green light. A group of investors led by Thompson Development is toying with the idea of another major health facility. The developers, led by Gene Thompson, will not yet go on record publicly about the project, as they said it is still at the conceptual stage.
Thompson was the lead developer on the Health City Cayman Islands project, the first development in the medical tourism sector in Cayman. He was also a member of the HCCI board until February of this year, when he parted company for what are understood to be personal reasons.
But HCCI was always meant to be much more that the hospital. In 2010, when the developers signed a deal, which involved a number of significant concessions, with the UDP government, led by McKeeva Bush, the plan was to eventually expand the hospital and include a teaching facility and assisted living, among many other elements.
Currently, around 60% of HCCI’s patients come from overseas, but the facility it is not sustained by medical tourism and also needs local business to remain viable.
However, it has helped the CIG to cut costs. Government spends millions of dollars every year on overseas care for the elderly and indigent who are either uninsured or under-insured, and Health City has helped to cut those ever growing costs. This also allows those in need of specialist medical care previously only available in the US or Jamaica to be treated here and remain close to their families.
In addition, most local insurance companies cover the care provided there now, too, enabling Caymanians and residents with insurance to seek the healthcare they previously could only get off-island here at home, making it an increasingly welcome addition to local health provision.
But it is not clear how a second facility would fit into Cayman’s future medical needs. And given the experience of Health City regarding medical tourism, questions remain as to how that market could sustain another major state-of-the art hospital.
Speaking at Friday’s COVID-19 press briefing, Premier Alden McLaughlin said he believed there was a “great deal of room” for hospitals providing a service for overseas patients. He said that government’s aim was to develop Cayman as a centre of excellence, so the more tertiary care facilities the better. “We need to focus on building medical tourism,” he stated. “We can’t keep saying no to everything.”
But Health Minister Dwayne Seymour said his ministry would not consider a hospital based on the same model as something that already existed. He said he would want them to show that at least 70% of the patients would be from overseas.
“No one will ever get the same concession that any other institution got before under this government,” he said, adding he personally would not take forward a project that was not somehow different from what was already available.
Thompson has refused to comment on this new project at this stage, but some details about the presentation made to government and stakeholders about the idea found its way onto a public online blog written by an ERA agent.
According to the blog, Thompson is planning to team up with the Aster medical group, which was founded in the United Arab Emirates and provides healthcare across the middle east and India.
Category: Business, Health, Medical Health, Tourism
Hi,
Has there been any further development on this subject matter of Aster hospital ?
Doesn’t seem like these developers have any ideas of their own. Everything has been copied from Rumcakes to Tech City and now this. Guess he misses parading around Health City like a hospital administrator and greeter LMAO
Be Best.
New private hospitals are usually built by people who actually run hospitals, not real estate developers. Is there a hospital operator involved in this or is it just a land development scheme?
Can the next health minister be healthy and set an example to his country please. Jon Jon looks like he is about to explode.
1. That was the premise of Health City but not they are offering services in competition with the other hospitals
2. Who is doing the AML background checks?
and who is monitoring air emissions from Health Citi incinerator?
..vanadium, manganese, chromium, nickel, arsenic, mercury, lead and cadmium…Incinerator Bottom Ash …
But wait a second, 05/09/2018 CNS ASK AUNTIE:
“While the DEH has provisions in place to monitor the construction and operation of incinerators, the official explained that the regulations do not include 🤬 the “guidelines indicating what pollutants one should test for”. [WHAT????🤬]. In addition, the DEH does not have the “necessary equipment to allow for adequate monitoring of such emissions at this time”. ☠️[CAN’T BE TRUE, BUT IT IS!!!!!!]
As for when the DEH will be able to test for these emissions, “It is hoped that (the department) will be able to do so in the foreseeable future.”
So DoE has a provision in place, but it doesn’t say what pollutant to test for, besides they have NO testing equipment, and don’t know when they would start testing!!!! YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS UP!!!!!🆘
Ok armchair expert, please explain to me how the rass all of those heavy metals will appear in biohazardous material taken from humans?
A few of the comments have misinterpreted the Health Minister’s disclosure. If any of the commentators watched the briefing it would be very clear to them that he and the Premier spoke to an “approach” received by Government (by a private developer) to build another hospital. At no time was any mention or inference made that it was to be a Government project.
While the press conference didn’t name the private developer, this CNS article clearly has. So why isn’t that crystal clear to those who misinterpret that it is a Government project?
Comprehension 101!!
Ignorance runs high here. Why? What do you call an education system that spends more money per student than almost any other school but still rates somewhere near the bottom?
The new Health Minister will have to be different
And healthy
I believe this one is different enough.
He special for true.
These comments are gold Jerry! Pure gold I tell ya!!
I enjoyed this very much. But I am afraid the joke jokes will make him cry.
Fix the dump!!!!!
Dump the fix!
Can he give us his comments in Hindi?.
HHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAA, with some curry and a kebab, please
I’d bet a lot of money Jon-Jon’s BMI is higher than his IQ. Bodden Town, do the world a favor and vote him OUT come May.
Why don’t you do us all a favor and kick your behind out of Cayman. You hate all our true Caymanian legislators if they do not suck up to your idea of how Cayman must be run.
By “different”, does he mean it must provide a safe, padded place for all female workers to be locked up every time there is a full moon?
Maybe upgrade gt hospital before we build anything more.
The Shetty Hospital was suppose to be that kind of hospital? Luckily for us their model changed and they have become a great hospital for all of us, local or tourist. However I don’t believe that we need another “Tourism hospital”. Ego and oodles of money is a strange combination! I think instead that Government should build a smaller fully equipped hospital somewhere in the mid- eastern part of the island to help alleviate the crowds and traffic/parking issues at the HSA. That too will provide employment for our people.
So the last ones they worked to build are failing and dysfunctional like all things Caymanian.
“We have to stop saying no to things.” Sorry, have I woke up in a parallel universe? Did the storm take us to opposite land?
Apart from being an embarrassment to listen to he doesn’t make a picture of health. I wonder if he knows any personal fitness coach to help him lose a bit weight?
Maybe by offering something different Mr. Seymour means a free diet plan over a turtle dinner. Would that sweeten the deal for you at least?
He’s a bit of a Mogul in the entertainment industry. Perhaps a concert or two would sweeten the deal.
More donkeys. We need more donkeys. Especially during full moon.
But John John, who said you were coming backs as an MLA? LOL
shetty never has made sense..but who cares it’s private money with some concessions thrown in.
Dwayne has definitely got this all thought out. Now just sit back and relax.
He’s definitely got it all thought out. 😂
I propose the La Luna Hospital. It will treat those sad cases of female sex addicts, at ‘that’ time of the lunar cycle.
Pie in the sky.
Did he write us another “lil poem”? LMAO!!!
Any new hospital would need to be managed and operated by a completely separate group of people from the individuals that manage the current hospital. There is no point having a new facility managed by old incompetence.
Any semblance to characters you may or may not know and/or are thinking or not thinking about is purely coincidental and a fiction of your imagination. This is intended to simply waste your time. It is also solicitation for employment. Zee lack of translation by CNS is truly disappointing zo I am prepared to offa my services.
Political Talk: Speaking at Friday’s COVID-19 press briefing, Sir Tights a Lot said he believed there was a “great deal of room” for hospitals providing a service for overseas patients.
Plain English: My fellow colleagues and I purchase oversized XXLL pants with large, large pockets, and matching shirts in order to hide our girlzy tights.
Political Talk: “We need to focus on building medical tourism,” he stated. “We can’t keep saying no to everything.”
Plain English: Mamma said, Neva turn down a box of chocolatz, you neva gonna know what’s inside the cardboard. Like a big fat, umm, Chequeitita Banana flavored Dulce con Lece.
Political Talk: But Health Minister Big People need Lovin 2 said his ministry would not consider a hospital based on the same model as something that already existed. He said he would want them to show that at least 70% of the patients would be from overseas.
Plain English: Zee numbers can be above 70%, below 70% between 70% and nowhere near 70%. Zee number 70% iz just a number I pulled out of my Arschloch, pardon my Australian,
my grand big fat derrière, to mumble and jumble zee electorate. Zee important zing is zee numbers of mein banksy accounts and zee donations.
Political Talk: “No one will ever get the same concession that any other institution got before under this government,” he said, adding he personally would not take forward a project that was not somehow different from what was already available.
Plain English: Fugly is as fugly does. Zee concessions are Preis dependent on zee willingness to talks behinds zee backs doors, and zee do not need to make zeem Publik. Zee are safe zee from havings to beee DiFFerent from zee other projbect, as I do not zee iven know what zee Oder project iz – like, I am clueless. Like Totally Clueless.
Maybe one aimed at obesity?
I thought that the Hospt. was aimed at expats. Cayman must be one of the few places in the world where the average BMI looks to be higher than it is in the USA!
Now we are talking about…there are lots of obese people out there, it didn’t crossed my mind before but yeah, that is a real issue in Cayman.
This is a good time to think through the present and future existence of the Patch work George Town Hospital. While services in general are good, the facility is space deficient, outdated and requires more parking.. why isn’t The Government looking at this. A pharmacy space which is incredibly small, causing government to have to rent space is totally inefficient .
Fix our own facilities to a higher syptandard before contemplating the get rich quack schemes of the already rich constituent. Selah.
What about real health care vs.disease care? Safe Bike trails, proper waste management?
Never gonna happen on a third world island. Get used to it and do the best you can.
Cancer Treatment Centre!
How about cancer prevention center?
If you get rid of the Dump, aerial insecticides spraying and trucks fogging, start monitoring chemicals used in lawn care, cancer rates would get reduced dramatically, for you have 3 main ingredients for abundant health: sun light, sea water and magnesium (barefoot walking).
So if I rarely go outside, don’t swim, and wear shoes, I’m going to die?
Depends on when you were conceived.. If Before industrial revolution you should be fine, for sperm and egg weren’t affected by it yet. If after, your lifestyle and environment play huge role. If after Internet was launched, especially mobile technology, you belong to the first generation ever that won’t outlive their parents. It won’t be infections, but autoimmune and autonomic dysfunctions as well as various nervous system disorders. And cancer of course.
This idiot is still with us?
Unfortunately yes, he is!
I don’t see a problem for another hospital, that will create more jobs and less waiting times for patients.
They are proposing a hospital geared at medical tourism – he is simply stating that he wants to be sure that it can live up to its name unlike Health City (I am talking in regards to medical tourism). At least that is what I got from the article.
Lol. My first thought went to Sensei Ouup Ouup Seymour, but then realized that surely you must have been referring to the other idjit.
He needs to go badly. We hope voters in his district have sense come May next year. Be a fool sometimes but don’t make a career out of it, so voters dont be fooled in may 2021
Voters in his district don’t see anything wrong with one of their own .
They will vote for him, because he speaks their language and they identify with him.
They don’t require him to be educated, speak properly or have any intellect beyond Jesus Mary and donkey stories.
Lol, like it will be “his” Ministry come May.
I hope you are right!
Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
politicians always bring politics into govt hospitals….will be another disaster