On the heels of a groundbreaking ceremony for Health City Camana Bay, officials at renowned Caribbean hospital Health City Cayman Islands are taking a moment to celebrate eight years of operation as one of the region’s leading tertiary care providers.

Since opening its doors in 2014, Health City has provided medical, surgical, diagnostic, therapeutic and advanced care services – including many “firsts” in areas such as robotic navigation for joint replacements, installation of artificial hearts or left ventricle assist devices (LVAD), transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVR) or implantations (TAVI), minimally invasive clot extraction for strokes, and renal denervation – to patients from dozens of countries around the world.

“This anniversary is a great milestone for Health City Cayman Islands, the people of the Cayman Islands, and the Caribbean as a whole,” said Shomari Scott, chief business officer of the Joint Commission International (JCI)-accredited facility.

“It’s been eight years of success, eight years of lives saved, eight years of helping to make sure that persons have a renewed life.”

The East End-based flagship hospital, known for its high-quality, affordable health care services, will soon be complemented by the new facility on the outskirts of the capital, George Town, broadening the range of medical and surgical services currently available in the Cayman Islands.

Being built at a cost of US$100 million, Health City Camana Bay will feature a specialised Cancer Care Center with comprehensive and advanced oncology offerings, a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), an emergency pavilion and critical care unit, and a robust multispecialty programme which includes robotic surgery.

The 70,000-square-foot hospital is expected to be ready in two years, but this November, a 10,000-square-foot radiotherapy center for cancer care will be unveiled.

GIFT TO THE CARIBBEAN

“It will be one of the most exclusive types of integrated oncology centres, and Caribbean patients will no longer have to go to the United States and other places where the cost can be out of reach,” said Scott.

“We’re excited that we’re going to be able to give that gift to the Caribbean this year.”

Health City Cayman Islands has also garnered a reputation for its humanitarian activities and collaboration with nonprofit organisations, which have enabled low income families from around the world to bring their children to the facility to receive complex and often lifesaving treatment free of charge.

Founded by renowned cardiologist Dr Devi Shetty, Health City Cayman Islands is also known for its medical and administrative efficiency, which is reflected in its highly competitive pricing structure. In many cases the cost of a complicated cardiac procedure at Health City is less than the copay for a similar operation in the United States or Canada.

“We are dedicated to responding to the needs of our community,” said Scott.

“Over the past eight years we’ve been growing, operating and innovating … breaking new ground for the next generation,” he added, recalling that Health City has been at the forefront of delivering world-class, pioneering health care in the Caribbean since opening its doors.

Dr Binoy Chattuparambil, Health City’s clinical director and chief cardiac surgeon, developed the Caribbean’s first regional centre for an advanced form of life support called Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) in 2017. The ECMO system acts as an artificial heart or pair of lungs during therapy, allowing the patient’s organs to rest while natural healing of the affected area takes place.

In the first surgery of its kind in the Caribbean, the Health City orthopedic surgical team repaired a patient’s shoulder using an Arthroscopic Latarjet procedure in 2018.

Dr Alwin Almeida, chief orthopedic surgeon and joint replacement specialist, performs the minimally invasive surgery to treat recurrent shoulder dislocations that are typically caused by bone loss or fracture of the glenoid cavity.

Also in 2018, Health City increased its intensive care unit’s trauma and triage capabilities to handle more complex trauma cases, and the hospital’s previous intensive care and triage areas were transformed into a 21-bed centre, which provides 24-hour immediate coverage by emergency medicine physicians, general surgeons and anesthesiologists.

During the COVID-19 pandemic when borders were closed, Health City Cayman Islands focused its attention on meeting the health care needs of Cayman Islands residents and expanding its outpatient health services.

“What we’ve accomplished so far is just the beginning,” promised.

READ MORE: Health City breaks ground on second Cayman Islands hospital