Archive for September, 2013
Fair set to highlight importance of statistics
(CNS): The government’s Economics and Statistics Office (ESO) is teaming up with nine other public authorities to showcase the impact of statistics on daily life in the Cayman Islands at what will be the country’s first ever statistics fair. It will take place at the University College of the Cayman Islands (UCCI) at the end of next month, when the interactive exhibition will be the highlight of the Cayman Islands’ celebration of the International Year of Statistics 2013. Organisers have planned activities that will focus on the theme “KY Stats 4 Everyday Life: Let us Educate and Appreciate”.
ESO Director Maria Zingapan said that the year was declared by the United Nations to promote the power and impact of statistics on everyday life and to introduce young people to careers in statistical science.
“We aim to get our local students thinking about statistics, not just as a subject they study but how comprehensively statistics impact all of us in our daily lives,” Zingapan added.
Other participating departments include: Children and Family Services, Education, Environment, Environmental Health, Immigration, Lands and Survey as well as Planning, the Health Services Authority and the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service. Most of these departments are members of the recently-established National Statistical Coordination Committee.
Fair coordinator Shanna Saunders-Best said that there will be interactive exercises that will aim to help school children learn in a fun way how statistics work, and through which they can earn special prizes and offerings. There will also be an award for the school with the most representatives.
While the emphasis will be on students, the day-long fair will offer interesting exhibits and meaningful insights for adults as well the ESO added.
The fair will take place at the UCCI auditorium on Thursday, 24 October from 9am to 6pm.
Heart charity gives life-saving equipment to schools
(CNS): The Cayman Heart Fund (CHF) has used the money raised during the Discovery Day 5k Ken Chand Walk/Run to purchase and donate automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to government schools that still don’t have one. This is part of a major push to cover all schools and to encourage other educational establishments, churches, recreation centres, gyms and sports complexes to install the critical equipment. The charity said that it was able to raise enough funds to purchase and donate ten AEDs to public schools in Grand Cayman and four in Cayman Brac so every public school now has a machine installed.
During the month of September, the CHF presented the AEDs to very appreciative principals, teachers and students at East End Primary School, UCCI, NCVO (Ms. Nadine’s), John Gray H.S., John A Cumber Primary School, Light House, Creek Spot Bay Junior School (Brac), Leyman Scott High School (Brac), Creek Spot Bay Infant School (Brac) & West End Primary School (Brac)
“The CHF would like to encourage all schools, churches, recreation centres, gyms and sports complexes to have an AED as it could save the life of a Sudden Cardiac Arrest victim,” a spokesperson for the charity stated.
The charity also offered it’s thanks to the sponsors who made it possible to raise sufficient funds to purchase the AEDs which included Agar Corporation, Cayman Islands Insurance Association, Dart International, Davenport, Diamond International and Cayman Airways.
IAT Kiosk to open in government building
(CNS): With government planning to change the immigration regime next month with an amendment to the law the regime controlling the awarding of permanent residency is about to get tougher. As a result government will be seeking to tighten the appeals process as well to eliminate frivolous appeals and move more speedily on genuine ones. With the goal of enhancing services provided to the public the Immigration Appeals Tribunal (IAT) has established a new kiosk on the ground floor of the Government Administration Building which will open Monday 30 September, at 10:00am allowing anyone going through or making an appeal to drop off documents or make other submissions and check on the status of their appeal.
“The addition of this kiosk will improve the customer experience for all appellants and their representatives and also make the IAT easier to access,” said Natasha Bodden, IAT Coordinator. “Our goal is to ensure we provide the public with the most efficient and effective service so as to make the appeal process as seamless as possible.”
The desk will be open to the public every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10am to 2pm. For more information please call 244-3605
Bad records undermine FOI
(CNS): After more than 3,000 freedom of information requests since the law that allows the public access to government records and information came into effect, the information commissioner said that Caymanians have embraced their rights under the law but poor record keeping is undermining the process. Speaking just months away from the office’s fifth anniversary and during the annual Right To Know Week, Jennifer Dilbert told CNS that she believes the law has made a significant difference to the amount of information now available in the public domain but the issue of poor record keeping is the root cause of the many procedural issues applicants face during requests.
Dilbert said there have been many times during the mediation period or during an appeal when the public authorities she is dealing with have refused access to applicants even before they find a record. She explained that authorities are refusing applicants when the documents have never even been examined, which is why the reasons for refusal often change throughout the process. When a document suddenly turns up, the authority realises they can’t refuse under the exemption they have cited so they rush to add another exemption or recognise that they must release the record.
“The procedural problems take up so much time during a hearing,” she said, adding that this had been the focus of meetings with her office, the deputy governor and the chief officers, who are taking the lead to ensure a more proactive releasing environment and better record keeping. The information commissioner said that the civil service heads were the key to improving the FOI regime as they could put pressure on the political arm of government, where ministers are trying to prevent information coming out, and on their staff to improve record keeping and proactive release.
Dilbert said that while many authorities were doing far better on proactive release and responding to requests, there was still some resentment from information managers when they receive requests requiring a great deal of work to find the records. Dilbert noted that sometimes requesters themselves could be more specific about what they are seeking to improve their chances of getting what they need more quickly. But she confirmed that the onus was on the information managers to help by contacting applicants and establishing exactly what documents, records or information they are actually seeking.
The commissioner emphasised the need for public authorities to embrace the spirit of the law and start from a position of releasing everything unless there was a legal reason not to, rather than looking at a record and trying to find a way not to release it. She said they should not look at the timelines in the law, such as the 30 day period for release, as a target but if they have the information and it can be released it should be given to the applicant at the earliest opportunity. Dilbert said there was no excuse or proper reason for authorities to sit on records until the last legal minute.
Some authorities, she explained, also saw statutory deadlines relating to her orders as targets. After being ordered to release a record following a hearing, authorities are given 45 days to apply to the court for a stay on her order ahead of a judicial review. That time line was not meant to give authorities another month and a half to withhold a record, she said, and on more than one occasion an authority with no intention of challenging the release in the courts has held onto records until midnight on the 45th day, showing a deliberate disregard for the law’s intent.
In general, however, Dilbert was pleased with the improvements in many public authorities, and said they were getting better at fighting the culture of closely guarding government information. But some government companies and statutory authorities, where board members come from the private sector, were still struggling with the fact thateverything they do can be made public.
Overall, a great deal of information that may never have seen the light of day has been released to the people. The public has thoroughly embraced the law and the publication of important information is more widespread than ever. Dilbert explained that access to information was much more than shining a light on government or making the public sector more transparent.
“There are times when people request and receive information that can change their lives,” she said, as she pointed to personal record requests to authorities such as the pensions board, the police, immigration or for personnel records that can help them resolve long term problems.
With her own retirement approaching at the end of the year, Dilbert said she would be still be behind her desk until 31 December, when Deputy Information Commissioner Jan Liebaers will hold the fort until a new person is appointed to head the office.
With some additional money in this year’s budget and an empty post now filled, Dilbert said that the office would be able to handle much more work and focus on some of the persistent procedural shortcomings that are the main barrier to a smoother FOI regime.
Emphasising the success of FOI in Cayman so far, she predicted an even brighter and more transparent future as the public sector gets increasingly accustomed to releasing information to the public.
See below for the report and article detailing statistics relating to FOI and for the events planned for Right to Know Week.
Cops round up second murder suspect
(CNS): A 26-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder this afternoon during a police operation in West Bay, an RCIPS spokesperson said Tuesday. This is the second man to be arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of Irvin Bush on Sunday 15 September in Daisy Lane. Officers from the Uniform Support Group led the joint police operation supported by the Air Operations Unit. The suspect remains in police custody while inquiries continue.
Health city to open February
(CNS): The much anticipated first phase of Dr Devi Shetty’s hospital in East End will open on 24 February, officials have announced. With the construction of the project on schedule, local partner Gene Thompson was confident when he announced the opening date at a special lunch on Tuesday, where Shetty was present to give a presentation about the vision. Prior to introducing Shetty, Thompson told the audience that the construction had gone very well. Having waived the requirement for clean police records, previous references and avoided implementing random drug testing, the site maintained a rate of 70% local workers and moved ahead of schedule without a single on-site incident.
Once the hospital opens, however, a significant number of the workers will at first come from India, it was revealed during Tuesday’s presentation, but there will still be lots of vacancies for local workers. Thompson also said that the staff coming from India are currently undergoing cultural sensitivity training about Cayman before they arrive to facilitate their integration into the local community.
Several hundred people were present for the lunch presentation at the Marriott, which reflects the serious interest the community has in this unique development. Dr Shetty told them that two of the Narayana Hrudayalaya Group’s Indian star doctors will be coming to the Cayman Islands to head up the 150-bed tertiary care facility when it opens next year but at least two local doctors are expected to be joining the Health City Cayman team.
In his presentation Shetty spoke about the vision and how the hospital is expected to become a centre of medical excellence for providing surgery, highly specialised affordable care and medical training. He spoke of brave new medical technologies and techniques that will be available at the Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospital that are not yet approved or available even in the US but that his staff is already expert in providing.
Shetty has been called the Henry Ford of medicine because his group takes an almost production line approach to surgery and uses a unique model to cut health care costs, training medical doctors and technicians to be specialists in a narrow field with the assistance of modern technology.
The model has had incredible success in his native India, where the economic realities are very different. But there are still those who doubt that in a jurisdiction as expensive as Cayman he will be able to deliver the same kind of efficiencies to facilitate his now world famous model for delivering top quality health care at drastically reduced rates.
Cayman has embraced Shetty’s vision and adapted legislation to facilitate his hospital and is hoping it will trigger a new area of economic development for Cayman with medical tourism.
Prior to Shetty’s presentation to the wider community, he met with the new government on Monday for the first time and shared information about the success of his medical model with the new ministers.
Acting Premier Moses Kirkconnell and Kurt Tibbetts led the Cabinet team, which pressed for involving as many Caymanians as possible as future employees, landlords housing the hospital’s employees, and as patients seeking the specialities offered at the hospital.
CIG is also seeking preferential rates for treatment for Caymanian patients and, in turn, Dr Shetty sought assurance that the government would refer to his institution its tertiary care patients that require treatment in the specialisations that his hospital will offer. He and his team also showed keen interest in working with the CIG in all possible areas and he sought better airline connectivity in transporting medical tourists to and from the Cayman Islands.
Airport denied permit for new HR boss
(CNS Business): Following the public controversy over the decision of the Cayman Islands Airports Authority to appoint an ex-pat to the post of chief human resource officer, the acting director confirmed that the work-permit application has been denied. Jan Peters, the former head of HR at the Department of Tourism wasawarded the post following a recruitment and interview process in which she was the only non-Caymanian shortlisted. Although there were several local human resource specialists who appeared to be qualified, because of Peters' experience and the work she had done at the DoT solving their HR problems, she was identified as the best person for the job. Read more on CNS Business
Back-to-work programme for jobless Caymanians
(CNS Business): A local recruitment agency has developed a not-for-profit programme to help find jobs for local people who are registered as unemployed, maintaining that this will lower unemployment, which stands at around 10.5% for Caymanians, and expand the local labour supply. Alan Brady, operations manager at Baraud, said the agency will launch a 13-week pilot back-to-work programme, Re-Start, on 14 October for 20 Caymanians looking for work and they are hoping it will be rolled out nationally if the pilot programme goes well. “Employers very often overlook people who have been out of work for a period or have a gap in their resume, particularly in times such as these with an abundance of people on the market,” Brady said. Read more on CNS Business
Fourth suspect charged for Crewe Road burglary
(CNS): Police say a 27-year-old man has been charged in connection with a burglary at Cayman Contractors, Crewe Road, last June. He has been charged with burglary and handling stolen goods and is expected to appear in court today (Tuesday 24 September). The two men and one woman, aged 29, 30 and 43, who were charged earlier this month in connection with the same incident will also appear in court today.