HSA teams up with charity to help sick child
(CNS): The toddler in need of emergency medical attention due to complications relating to COVID-19 is expected will be transported to Jamaica on a Cayman Airways flight with the help of the Cayman Islands Government. Following enquiries by CNS yesterday about an appeal posted on social media by the charity Cayman ARK, an official statement was released Thursday evening saying that the CIG is partnering with the charity and Cayman Airways to arrange emergency air transport of the child for advanced medical care.
The child and family are being transported on a dedicated Cayman Airways flight to Jamaica (not to Florida, as was previously stated) and will be supported by a medical team from the HSA on the journey.
HSA Medical Director Dr Delroy Jefferson said that “though the patient is stable, a medical team from HSA will be accompanying the patient and family during transit to provide continuous care and transfer to the clinical team in Jamaica”.
Premier Wayne Panton said that public, private and civic society had come together to meet the needs of this young patient and their family. “We will keep them in our thoughts during their travels and pray for the child’s full recovery,” he stated.
It is understood that the child, who has been in the hospital since 21 February, is a visitor to Cayman and does not have sufficient health insurance cover. The situation was brought to public attention on social media on Wednesday by Cayman ARK (Acts of Random Kindness), who said the community had pulled together in just two days to raise funds in order to support the air transport and continued medical care for this child.
“This is further demonstration of the true Cayman Kindness that makes our community so unique,” said Tara Nielsen, the director of the charity.
Meanwhile, the number of cases of COVID-19 increased slightly. Over the last two days, 72 positive cases were reported to Public Health, increasing the seven-day rolling case average up to 31. There are an estimated 481 active cases of the virus with another four new cases on Cayman Brac in the last day.
Nevertheless, the situation however has improved dramatically compared to just one month ago, when thousands of people were infected and locked down, unable to go to school or work. Hospital numbers are also continuing to fall and there are just three unvaccinated patients currently admitted to hospital with COVID-19.
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Category: Health, Medical Health
CNS, how this adorable little girl is doing? Please let us know. 🙏 Thank you
What does it say about Cayman when someone has to be airlifted to Jamaica for medical treatment….
This tale has more holes than Swiss cheese
@9:04..You are truly idiotic…Where would you airlift them to? She is going where her family can be with her and where she can get the help she needs.
Posters point was that we have first class medical providers here, but she has to be airlifted to Jamaica because heath care here is only for those that can afford it., or Caymanians whom government wil look after, not for blue collar workers on a minimum ( or no) insurance package.
It’s sad to see all of the comments questioning everything. If it was a Caymanian child, there wouldn’t have been all of this questioning. I know because I was involved indirectly with a fundraising for a Caymanian child and they changed their minds several times about what they were doing but Caymanians just put out the money no questions asked. They would eat your head off if you asked a question like one person did.
Story makes no sense. Who was going to pay for the poor kids medical bills in Miami? It sounds like they could easily run into hundreds of thousands of dollars. Get well soon little one.
It’s ok for Cayman to help but what about the Jamaicans here ? Are they helping ? And what about the Jamican Government ?, should they be the one helping the biggest ? If the child and parents are Jamaicans ?. Wishing the child a full recovery soon,God bless.
CNS report
“It is understood that the child, who has been in the hospital since 21 February, is a visitor to Cayman and does not have sufficient health insurance cover….”
This is what is reported on the Compass site …
“She and her husband, Omar, moved to the island in September from Jamaica. But complications with their insurance meant their daughter was not covered and the medical bills are now mounting up.”
Stories don’t match but wish the little girl well for her recovery
The child was not listed as a dependent by the parents which is why no cover. This begs the question why was she here when the immigration law states you have to list dependants and be able to support them. Since they’re from Jamaica it would have been more expedient and cost effective for ARK to arrange treatment there as the U.S. has no obligation to let persons with no Visa into their country. The Cayman govt also really has no obligation to pay for expensive U.S. treatment for non citizens. Jamaica has excellent hospitals so there’s hope for a quick recovery.
The whole plane? For medivac? Come again?
It was a SAAB not a B737 jet. Be grateful for small mercies and the goodness of the people of these islands.
So now she’s not going to Miami? Sorry this story is starting to not add up. If I was the mother of a child who needed proper medical treatment I would take up the USA hospital over a Jamaican one that is about to be overwhelmed with covid.
USA exercise control over who enters their country. My US Visa expired many years ago, and I didn’t bother renew it because I can use my UK passport to enter the USA. However, I am aware that I can only use that on commercial flights. I cannot travel to the USA by private jet, even if I could afford it, and should I ever need to be medevaced to the USA in the case of an emergency I would be in deep doodoo.
While the USA hospitals may be happy to receive and treat anyone, Customs and Border Control are the ones who say who is allowed to enter the country. No Visa, No Entry.
Southern border is open for everyone and you will get free care.
@1:02pm..You must be one of Trumps Patriots..People in Cayman do things legally when travelling to the USA. You have a humanitarian issue on your southern border where immigrants are trying to enter your country illegally or legally) to escape political persecution int their countries. We have a little girl who is in dire need of medical assistance. Your suggestion to smuggle her in through your southern border to get medical help is nothing short of nonsensical and only for your political expedience..
So tired of hearing of all of the USA political divisiveness. You guys really need to get your act together and try to live like normally caring human beings instead of being at political war with each other 24/7.
I get this. But my original question is why would they think they could go to the US and a hospital would treat them there if they knew they didn’t have visas to get there? So surely they have visas that can get them there? Or else they wouldn’t have accepted the free medical care from the hospital… right? Or am I just assuming people think of these things?
Not just visas but if their insurance didn’t cover treatment here or medevac elsewhere what chance is there it would cover treatment in the US?
Not as simple as that. You can fly with ESTA visa waiver to USA using your UK Passport on private plane so long as the operator has agreement with DHS. I’d be amazed if a medevac plane didn’t have such an agreement for commercial reasons.
What a ignorant comment from a dumb pos like you,
Jamaica has better health services and is way cheaper than your shithole USA where in fact if covid doesn’t kill you then chances of a bullet from an active shooter will.
Lol you angry
3:25pm…..this has to be one of the STUPIDEST comments I have EVER read!
I mean you do realize anyone that gets shot here is from a Jamaican background. There’s not Americans in Cayman running around shooting people.
I am wishing this adorable child a speedy recovery! 🙏💓
Keep up the good work. You are a blessing
Pretty sad it took two days to raise $30,000.00. The government just approved 15 million dollars “supplementary” in 22 minutes on the 16th.
The other family had health insurance and everything in place, but insurers baulked at paying out. Also the child is Caymanian.
Morals and semantics aside, the whole health system here sucks. The main thing is that two children that need help are getting it.
The child is not Caymanian..get your story straight.
What the hell does it matter anyway? Think of the child’s life and leave your foolish politics out of it.
9:36 am, how much did the Jamaican Govt. raise ?
This.
another update that leaves you with more questions than answers…
ARKs latest posts suggest they paid for the flight; the article implies it was a government sponsorship. Which is it?
Caymanian Kindness is a great something, very good. Hope all appreciates.
Confused. First ARK says it has successfully raised the money to pay for a private air ambulance and accommodation and had a US hospital volunteer the surgery for free, now the child is being flown on a dedicated CAL flight to Jamaica for treatment? Quite apart from the fact that it must be way more expensive to use a whole 737 for a medivac ( as well as the aircraft not being equipped for that task) why does the chid now have to get surgery in Jamaica – presumably cheaper than the Staes but paid for by the government- if there were already arrangements in place? Wouldn’t the money it’s costing the tax payer to provide the CAL flight and the Jamaican treatment been better spent in providing additional support and care than simply replacing private sector support?
The child and her parents are from Jamaica as is the rest of the child’s family.
We gathered that Sherlock. The above posters points are valid.
They say she will be treated in Jamaica at no charge. Why wasn’t she taken to the US if that was the original plan?
I wish this adorable little girl a speedy recovery.💝
hello, why do you not acknowledge that she is going to be treated free of cost at the hospital in Jamaica? too good to be true? you all blast Jamaica at every oppurtunity, but not now,eh?
WHY doesn’t Cayman import 500 Ukrainian refugees looking for rescue from the war? Cayman has a wealth and resources for it.
Just stop it! Why complicate things?
Ukrainians have fled to European countries and will return to their homeland when the war is over.
My cousin is in Warsaw. His 5yo is attending a kindergarten for free. His 3 older kids continue schooling via Zoom.
Everything is well organized in Poland and other countries to accommodate Ukrainian refugees. My cousin is staying in a hotel for 30 days for free, 2 rooms. The hotel has some sort of kitchen where they can cook. They can get basics for free, the local population is very generous to Ukranian refugees.
While “Feed our future” and “Meals on Wheels” charities exists in Cayman, how can you advocate help to others when your own children go hungry? If “Cayman has a wealth and resources for it” then why can’t it feed its own children and elderly?
Ukrainians can work in European countries, they’re given a document which allows them to seek work and receive social benefits. What are they going to do in Cayman? What school their children would attend? In the absence of public transportation how are they going to get around?