Shetty patients due in April
(CNS): The first patient to go under the knife at the new Shetty hospital in East End is still two to three weeks away, officials have said, but as a result of patient confidentiality they won’t be able to give much away. As Cayman waits for the facility to kick-start the much hoped for third leg of the economy – medical tourism — a spokesperson for the hospital said the first international patient and first surgery is scheduled in the next two to three weeks. The hospital has not said if Dr Devi Shetty will be wielding the scalpel himself, where the first patient will come from or what type of procedure it will be.
“Due to patient confidentiality we are not presently able to release details in regards to the procedure nor give the exact date, however we are working to see if the patient is willing to sign a waiver to allow some of the high level details to be released,” an official told CNS, adding that whatever happened, the hospital would confirm once the first operation has taken place.
Health City Cayman Islands was officially opened at the end of February and at the time the hospital was hoping to schedule the first patients within ten days. However, so far the wards are empty and no one has yet checked into the state-of-the-art facility.
Although the goal to develop what is eventually toted to be a 2000-bed medical centre, complete with specialist units, assisted living facility, a university and supporting infrastructure, had been dependent on the North American market until the hospital receives the necessary accreditation, it will be concentrating on seeking out patients in the region and Latin America. The hospital will also be taking local patients who would previously have been sent overseas for treatment.
The 140 bed hospital is equipped with the latest technology and there are high hopes that it will see Cayman become a centre of medical excellence in the region.
Category: Health
This is the nature of starting a business, people. Success doesn't begin from day 1, it takes time to build clientele, establish loyalty and getting your name out there. I learned the hard way my own business.. lots of excitment and positive calucations leading into it, but that only works if you can properly swoon the customer through effective marketing and actually having a decent product or service.
Health City has experienced, qualified physicians and a state of the art facility – there's a video tour on youtube about it you can see for yourself. Now, it's just primarily a marketing and waiting game. The grunt work of getting patients in has now begun, so everyone just relax, this is normal.
Further more, once this facility is JCI accredited then you'll see the type of inflow that you were expecting on day 1, because their partner Ascension Health will be referring their patients here, and their network is huge.
All of what I'm saying are just best guesses and I don't work for Health City, I am however a local qualified in healthcare who did apply for a spot there.
Give the venture time, they've been open for only 1 month and this is what it is like for many businesses just starting out.
NOT GOOD for CAYMAN…
This hospital will not help or be of any value to Caymanians in any way…
I have tried to schedule an MRI to save me going overseas to do so – since the only other alternative in Cayman is a SCAM that costs US$3,100.00, or 7 times the US price – to no avail…
Emails and phone calls were ignored…
I spoke to Shomari Scott, who promised acall back from his COO to schedule it, which of course never occurred: SHAME on you Mr. Scott and Mr. Shetty for misleading the Caymanian public…
I sincerely wish that your venture FAIL MISERABLY, because this is all that you deserve…
Have you tried Cuba, one tenth the cost of what it is here, speaking from personal experience. And my insurance here payed for it too. Can't see why we need such a hospital here when some of the best doctors in the world are just a short plane ride away.
Plus you get to give dollars to suport the revolutionary fight against American corporate imperialists.
I have tried Honduras…
I have tried Honduras where an abdominal MRI only costs $200.00 and the quality of the report is far higher and more complete than those provided in Cayman…
I have also tried France, where the cost is CI$230.00 and quality is probably the best in the world…
An investigation in the HORRENDOUS cost of MRI's in Grand Cayman needs to take place ASAP, as someone CORNERED the market and is making a financial KILLING out of it, thus raising insurance premium for all of us…
Also, the quality of the reports is the lowest I have experienced anywhere else in the world and a second opinion that can be obtained on the Internet for a slow as $35.00 is a MUST!…
Health care in Cayman must be one of the most expensive in the world and one of the lowest quality available, thanks to the HSA…
Btw, Shetty's hospital must be reading this column, as I finally got an expression of interest today via email…
So if the hospital saves hundreds of lives but does not help Caymanians it is a "bad thing"?
And that's Caymankind.
I bought a couple of buses to ferry the would be patients to the hospital and my seats are still empty. Where's the customers promised Gene Thompson and the mark Scotland? Seems like I'm going to have to sell.
I bought a load of cheap wheelchairs ready for my new porter venture.
I applied for a job back in January. Haven't had a courtesy email to say I wasn't selected for an interview…… Don't know what type of people are running the show, but it's sad to think they can't be professional or organised to keep applicants informed. Sorry but giving Caymanians jobs, it's a joke!
So did I. After the closing date they moved to Health City so things got put on a hold. I anticipate they'll focus on the recruitment process once a steady revenue stream is there. To hire those 100+ jobs that they advertised would be premature at this time.
I wonder why I suddenly recall the story of "The Emperor's New Clothes"? The Emperor is akin to government who seemed to have moved heaven and earth to allow this business to come here. Now I'm afaid that all the changes, particularly, the lowering of our medical qualifications which makes this the other jurisdiction along with India to accept Indian medical qualifications, has now come to haunt. People will not gamble with their lives with what appears to be a substandard service.
I shouild point out that the Narayana hospitals have done tens of thousands of sucessful heart surgeries. There is no reason to believe they are sub-standard.
They're not exactly breaking down the doors, are they. I wonder if this is a charity case…..?
soon come…….zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Still absolutely ridiculous that this hospital was built with no emergency room. How can we justify, or how can the government justify, having an island with a population of ours with only one emergency room with what (12-14 beds).
The very definition of a mass casualty incident (MCI) is "an incident that overwhelms the resources abailable to combat it". In that sense then, a small accident with 12-14 people injured would totally overwhelm our island – especially considering that there would probably be people in the emergency room already! Not to mention our ambulance situation – what, 28 qualified people on island and 3 ambulances that may or may not work. We need to do better – not just for the permanent residents of the island but also for our tourists. How can we promite ourselves as a hub of tourism, especially a world class diving location, when we cannot possible counteract any serious incident that could happen. Just look at the headlines on island the last 3-4 months: drownings, suicides, murders, violent robberies, massive dump fires, big car accidents.
The government should have never allowed a hospital like this to be built without additional public resources. We already have one private hospital that was built with no emergency room and triage center! We need to be smarter about our emergency responses. It will only take one incident to ruin our country's track record and show the rest of the world that we are not prepared to deal with anything.
How do you think that would look on the resume of an island that is trying to market itself as somewherefor "medical tourism"?
Emergency Rooms suck resources, thats why private hospitals avoid them like the plague
So the idea is if you have an emergency you die?
Excellent post. On point. Very true. Hospitals around the world have yearly "drills" for mass emergency situations. Cayman is a ticking time bomb is so many respects. Again, hat off to you poster.
Has the good doctor obtained a license to practise in Cayman?
As far as i'm concerned he's even qualified to practice on the moon !!