Health
Over 12,600 sought help for mental health in 2022
(CNS): As Cayman marked World Mental Health Day yesterday (10 October), the Health Service Authority (HSA) urged people to pay attention to their mental well-being. More than 12,600 people sought mental health services here last year, according to the Mental Health Commission. Dr Omotayo Bernard, who heads the Behavioural Health Department at the HSA, said […]
Notorious healthcare bills climb to new high
(CNS): The public purse will be picking up a record-breaking tab by the end of this year to cover the hospital bills both at home and abroad for people who are either under- or uninsured. Although the 2021 Census suggested that 93% of Cayman Islands residents have health insurance, in 2023 the government is expecting […]
Health officials warn of local dengue transmission
(CNS): Early evidence of local person-to-person dengue transmission has been identified in the Cayman Islands, officials from the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the Public Health Department have said. So far this year, four of 28 suspected dengue cases have been confirmed, and one of those infected individuals had no travel history.
Ban on Brits giving blood finally lifted
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Government has approved a change in the local blood donor eligibility policy following a review of the potential risk posed by people who had visited or lived in countries affected by Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as “mad cow disease”. This means people who lived in Britain between 1980 and […]
COVID spreads but not fuelling respiratory illness
(CNS): Seeking to allay concerns in the community that an increase in the spread of COVID-19 in the Cayman Islands has caused a correlating increase in respiratory illnesses, Chief Medical Officer Dr Nick Gent has said that current hospitalisations due to respiratory problems are in line with previous years.
Cannabis ‘gummies’ delivered without prescription
(CNS): Chief Medical Officer Dr Nick Gent is asking medical professionals and pharmacists to follow the law when it comes to the dispensing and prescription of cannabis products, as all forms of the drug are illegal here unless prescribed by a doctor. After a local pharmacy mistakenly delivered cannabis gummies to a young patient without […]
WTE due to open in 2027 a decade after bid
(CNS): The waste-to-energy facility is due to open in 2027, almost a decade after the Dart-led consortium was selected as the preferred bidder in October 2017. In the face of public frustration about how long the talks between the Cayman Islands Government and Dart have taken over the ReGen project, Deputy Chief Officer (Policy) Troy […]
EIA implies low environmental impact for ReGen WTE
(CNS): Given the poor conditions and historical problems associated with the George Town dump and the lack of a proper landfill liner, the development of a waste-to-energy facility is likely to benefit rather than harm the natural marine and terrestrial resources in the area, according to the draft environmental impact assessment (EIA). Around 1.7 acres […]
Draft EIA for dump project due this week
(CNS): Officials on the ReGen project, the proposed deal between the Cayman Islands Government and Dart to build waste-to-energy and recycling facilities at the George Town dump, have said the draft environmental impact assessment will be available to the public this Friday, 18 August. As a result, public meetings will begin next week.
COVID vaccine becomes a seasonal shot
(CNS): Local cases of COVID-19 are on the decline and the last batch of Moderna vaccines on-island has expired. Therefore, the Public Health Department will no longer offer the shots on a monthly basis but will instead administer them seasonally, as is the case with the flu vaccines. Officials told CNS that since April, when […]
Opposition blames premier for dump deal delays
(CNS): The PPM is blaming the government for the continued delays and increasing costs associated with the long-awaited and troubled deal with Dart for the proposed waste-management project, ReGen. Opposition Leader Roy McTaggart has criticised Premier Wayne Panton’s handling of the situation left by the Progressive administration, in which McTaggart served as finance minister.
