Bush & Scotland plan India trip to meet Shetty
(CNS): The minister of health has finally made an official statement regarding the proposed development by world famous heart surgeon Dr Devi Shetty to build a 2,000 bed hospital in the Cayman Islands. Mark Scotland said that government is supporting the project but it is a completely private initiative and it has not offered land to the Narayana Hrudaylaya Group. However, the minister confirmed that he and Premier McKeeva Bush have been invited to meet Dr Shetty in India, and officials were currently working on travel arrangements to make it possible.
“We have been in discussions with this group, but we have not offered them land or any other form of partnership,” Scotland said, adding that government welcomed the investment as it will generate much-needed long-term economic activity outside Cayman’s traditional revenue streams of tourism and financial services. “This endeavour will help to create a more diverse economy that is better insulated from economic downturns. It will also promote medical tourism in our Islands.”
Following news reports that Cayman officials will be in Bangalore this December, the health minister also verified that he and the premier have been invited to meet Dr Shetty there. “We are waiting to confirm possible arrangements based on the premier’s travel plans,” he said.
Dr Shetty reportedly visited the Cayman Islands recently and told Cabinet about his plans for the mega medical facility or health clinic, and a memorandum of understanding has been given to government, but despite reports in The Wall Street Journal and the Times of India, it has not yet been signed.
The project, which could cost as much as $1 billion, will be entirely privately funded and will target North American patients looking for high quality, low cost medical health care. The local project director is Gene Thompson, who says the project is still in its infancy.
See footage of Dr Shetty on News 27
Category: Health
Interesting that Mark Scotland has already been to India on a trip and that it was kept secret. Why was that not published ?
Honestly people the travel money is nothing. Once the project is looked at this part is silly stupid to worry about.
Let’s put things in prospective for each person. If I told you that if you gave me $5 that I would give you $50,000 every year for at least 10 to 20 years what would you think about the $5? Small investment I am betting.
Here’s the net affect after this is done:
Cayman Airways will get more passengers and will do better.
Immigration will get tons of permit request and many are doctors which will be good dollars. So CIG will do better.
Local stores such as gas stations, car rentals, hotels, supermarkets should all see benefits from this.
Money Transfers for the staff for the hospital sending money back home should see money also.
CIG licensing fees should also benefit tons from this.
Locals who owns apartments should also benefit from more people to rent.
Local utility companies (Phone, Light and Water) should also benefit because of not only the business consumption but also the staff in their apartments should also benefit from them.
Local stores such as furniture and variety stores should also benefit as staff need to furnish apartments.
What we are going to see is massive amounts of money being pumped back into the eceonomy of the Cayman Islands and this debt that is holding over our heads could simply disappear within a fairly short time (few years) if we still be conservative and the venture successful.
So don’t kill yourself over US$50k worth of travel cost because we are going to get that back many times over if this project is secured for Cayman.
My concern is what it will mean in other issues for Cayman such as impact on:
1) Transport
2) Dump (aka Mount Trashmore)
3) Environment
I just want to know the governent is game planning for this impact and start making our various sectors ready for the influx of people into the Islands.
Fact: no money spend for this Country
Fact: More Jobs for caymanians, one way or the other
Fact: if it fails, is not our problem.
Fact: they come for heart surgery, not beach and sand destination EZZARD BUILD IT IN NORTH SIDE and you will help the most need it people, workers will live there, and the locals who already live in town will go against the traffic jam every single day.
Fact: Dr Shetty is a bussines man, he came to us to avoid taxes, close to USA (primary market) save some lives and make money, he is not to be blame, is a sweet deal, take it (great) or leave it ( are you kidding me?)
If it fails it is our problem. The worldwide headlines will read "Another company fails in the Cayman Islands." When will we understand that any negative press whether based in facts or not will have an impact on us without a doubt. Another empty construction site – yea, that would be our problem alright.
Conference calls, video calling, e-mails etc. are excellent ways to communicate with people.
Is this person paying for their trip? They should be courting us.
ANOTHER EXPENSIVE TRIP FOR PREMIER & HIS GANG!!! If this is not a government project then why are these two ministers wasting our money (that we don’t have)???? If the doc wants to meet them, then he should visit Cayman, we should not waste more money on more travel! THIS IS GETTING SICKENING NOW!
Stupid is as Stupid Gets.
Why should we want to stop someone/Company from coming here to investment money that will be great for our economy.
UDP nor PPM has credit for this one Dr. Shetty has had this planned for about 2 years but under advise from his and I quote "The local project director is Gene Thompson" he was advised to wait until after Elections and a new Government (a more co-operative Government) was in place and then make their move to build and invest.
Gene Thompson ain’t no fool he Knows Little Big Mac would see the dollars here and would not have any "nah sayers" beating this down, PPM would have been more scurtinizing of the deal.
I am not a support of the Party System as well, but my advise to you my fellow caymanians as a young caymanian is remember we have our children and grand children coming up behind us let us leave somethings behind from the to enjoy and call their own. I do not think I the next 5 – 10 years they will be able to afford to buy property here on the Island, will be the next Monaco and cater only to the rich.
I say let Dr. Shetty in with the Hospital, but watch how we are trying to sell our Islands to.
15:02, you don’t even understand what you saying! It is the UDP that is giving away this country, & you are right when you say that your children & grandchildren will have nothing left for them because the UDP & Mckeeva Bush will have given it all away! I don’t know when you all gonna learn! I suppose not until it is too late, & then you will all be crying!
Whereas I support any business that will bring much needed jobs to the island I honestly feel that a hospital of this size is a little bit big for such a small island.Maybe start smallish and then expand which is probably the way it will be set up anyway.Please bear in mind that with such a large scale development will come other problems such as added traffic many more numbers of people associated with Drs.and the like.Upside of this will be more $’s for w/permits support for our local food industry,restaurants and others.which make up the day to day running of the country.All in all a win win situation if our infrastructure is set up well in advance of such an undertaking.No good waiting til its all said and done and then realise we have to build more roads etc.etc.Much needed planning MUST be done AHEAD of time.
by the way they have been invited to inaugrate the cancer hospital and also tour the facilities and I think that is a great honor for the Cayman Islands when they could have had anybody famous come do it and it also puts us on the international map. so instead of taking advatage of that what do we best. COMPLAIN. get a life people finally something good is happening in Cayman when there is a depression in the world
…..reading some comments of today, I must ask: do you people realise that we in the Cayman Islands may look at new major investments at what they may become for the survival of these islands? Rather than asking what Government is spending on "travel" to meet specific potential investors.
The time frame of being one of the chosen few in regards to world-class investments may quickly slip away from us.
We are a small entity in a world that is looking to survive in almost dead economies.
Europe has united as trade-partners to survive, why would we on the Cayman Islands think we have all the choices in the world. Cayman, like any other society needs large outside investments to survive, that is not not rocket science.
….less negative comments and more research will tell us, our Government "should" wine and dine "Investors", as they have many choices, they do not have to come here and ask "please may we invest" !
Wasting time cannot be on any Governments agenda.
T.D.
I may come out of retirement since all of us must work together to retain all investment potentials.
Save your breath, the clowns on this website and the radio call-in show would rather bash Mac and his initiatives rather than actually do anything productive for these islands.
I would love to see how many of these Mac-bashers have ever invested their own money into a business or been involved in growing an existing business on the island.
I bet the answer is pretty close to zero.
Mark knows nothing about how to run our Health System so why is he and Mckeeva wasting governments money on this trip? I cant possibly imagine what he is going to talk about !
Figures wise I BELIEVE you are on the really low end. Now I have no idea of how much staffing an Indian Hospital would have Vs a US Hospital because as you would imagine the numbers coming out of India are not as readily available but here are US numbers.
Baptist Hospital Miami
Bed: 680
Staff: 5,500+
Staff/Bd: 8 more or less
South Miami Hospital
Bed: 460
Staff: 3,600 +
Staff/Bed: Just under 8.
Saying that the numbers would span out like this:
4 per bed: 8,000 staff
5 per bed 10,000 staff
6 per bed 12,000 staff
Again I have no clue of Indian Vs US bed scenario but the numbers I don’t THINK would change a great deal unless it’s not going to be good quality service and I don’t see that happening either.
Your figure of 3,000 is only 1.5 Staff per bed and that is not going to work at all. The minimum I would see is 4 but I am sure that is even stretching it alot if you think about all the various areas of staff that are not even servicing beds such as labs and diagnostics, admin, maintenance, cleaners, etc
Thanks for the update from Mr. Scotland.
As for wheather Cayman goes to India…this seems a juvenile question! Dr. Shetty has already visited Cayman to see local officials, so our local officials now going to India to follow up/continue the process seems the right thing to do. It sems rude and arrogant to not do so. Plus it will allow local officials the opportunity to see/experience Dr. Shetty’s Hospital in action.
I’m not pro UDP or pro PPM…just pro economic stimulation…as long as the process is transparent and well thought through (ie: take environmental, infrastructual and societal) impacts into account…and then a proper plan to move forward. So far it seems this project could be a very good thing for Cayman.
Intelligent comment coming from a udp supporter!
Diversification of the Tourism product offering into Medical Tourism is desirable and it therefore behooves Government to lend any such practical initative its support.
We must however not get ahead of ourselves here.
What we are talking about in this particular case is a single investment that is subtantially larger than the current public sector budget.
Is it really going to be possible for such a massive single project in a new segment of economic activity to be accomadated without severe disruption to the existing societal balance?
A more modestly fashioned entry into a new economic segment would clearly be a more prudent approach and one that would be more consistent with a credible initative.
But then we have always believed that we should always do it the biggest and the best from the outset.
There is ample evidence that if you start out biggest and best the only way forward is downwards.
Perhaps a smaller project that affords greater levels of local meaningful participation across the board would make more sense?
Any excuse to travel – it was the same between2001 and 2005 and it has started again!
this is great news! but i still dont see the connection where this has evolved from cayman to India. did the PPM initiate this as it seems to have been growing legs very fast and i am not complaining but how can such a big project come from no where would be nice to get some inside on this.
UDP vs PPM interesting as PPM has not said anything so maybe they are coming together for the greater good of the islands
That’s great, but will I be able to get my vaginoplasty at a reasonable price?
Vaginaplasty??? Not sure, but rectal repairs certainly.
I believe you meant : Angioplasty…lol lol
Pretty sure dat’s a confirmed appointment – see you next tuesday for the procedure!!!
Excellent news, thanks for the confirmation. Two more quick questions, 1. Should I shave first? 2. Does Dr. Shetty accept CINICO?
Why can’t Shetty come here?
If you want my money you have to come to me. The Banks do it so why cant Dr. Shetty.
Plus when Mack is out of the country we dont have to listen to his rhetoric,
Watch out for the AG & Governor – they will – on behalf of the UK – try to derail our economic recovery and say that before this private investor builds he needs to go to CTC.
And of course watch out for the PPM, because they hate everything.
I really hope this is sarcastic and there aren’t people who really are this stupid.
The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office – I wonder what’s up their sleeve now, after hearing that we will be booming our economy back to a better state…
A "state" that if we should go independence, it would leave us on a well footing
Hmmm… this is interesting indeed
So exactly how much money has this UDP Government spent on travel and tours in their short 6 months in office ? Has to be several million dollars when you include airfare, hotel, food, events, conference space etc…….DAMN WE ARE BROKE BUSHY….U SAID SO Premo !!!
Perhaps we can have an FOI request to determine the exact amount !!!!!!
Its a small price to pay when we’re trying to invite investors to the island. if you spend $200k on plane tickets and end up bringing in millions possibly billions of dollars worth of investments into the Cayman Islands then all educated people would know it was worth it. So don’t be so simple minded.
Whilst I agree with you to some extent, given that this is to be a private initiative, if he wants to do business here, I agree with a previous poster who suggested Shetty should come here to see the Ministers, or perhaps its in Shetty’s interests to offer to pay our Minister’s travel and accommodation expenses. Why should the public purse incur expense on what is to be a private initiative?
Sure. Why make it easy and inviting to have investors do business here?
I expect all you pinheads want to line up and take turns kicking him in the ‘nads for having the audacity to try to invest in the Cayman Islands. That would show him "right proper" for trying to invest here. And he expected a welcome.
Now where’s my fishing pole, and how is it that I make thatch rope?
PS – every civilized nation in the world uses government-initiated trade delegations to serve the economy of their country. Your small-mindedness explains why you probably aren’t one.
I have a difficult time supporting either party. It seems the party system has created or assisted to create numerous of our problems. It is difficult to support this First Class world travel. I am very pro inward investment. All this globe trotting is hard to accept. The sound bites from the cabinet members is similar to trying to judge how your business TV marketing dollars work and what do they produce. There has never been to my knowledge a report that shows "inward invest" compared to travel, ad costs, marketing, promotion and most difficult to justify lobbying dollars. It would be nice to see someone in the CIG standing up and flying economy and staying in mid class hotels. I feel like I am watching the Big Three Auto makers going to congress in their private jets and limo’s and saying they are broke and need money. And let’s hope a UDP handler doesn’t ramble on about needing to create an image or that the Cabinet Members work on da plane in da suite. Also instead of focusing on one "inward" group how about putting some eggs into STAY OVER TOURISM and some DUTY AND TAX relief programs for Caymanian businesses.
Shetty did come. If I had my guess I would say they want to see what his HOSPITAL in India is like to determine what we expect to see as a final product here.
Look Hospitals comes in all shapes, sizes and quality levels and I think it’s fair for our Government to want to see one of his hospitals and how its run as there are lots of implications for us should we get on this train.
As for the money YEAH it would be nice for them to take lower cost tickets because they don’t NEED to be spending max funds on every trip but these are the guys we put in and I think we can see they like excess.
Now in the end it will all be pittance to what we get back but keep in mind the returns will come down the road not in a month or two but a year or two at best.
This is an investment in our future.
We figured "you all" would have a typical response like that, BUT it does not change the fact that we are broke – or at least that is what your leader told the WORLD, Star!
at least they are getting value for money unlike the PPM useless trips..