GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands, January 31, 2024 – In a significant move that will shape the future of medical care in the Caribbean, Health City Cayman Islands (HCCI) and Doctors Hospital Health System Limited (DHHS or Doctors Hospital Bahamas) today announced that they have entered into a strategic relationship involving coordination of highly complex off-island medical cases. The collaboration will solidify Health City as a preferred referral option for Doctors Hospital Bahamas and Bahamian patients broadly, creating structured access to world-class outcomes at a price point that will significantly lower the cost of complex medical episodes for Bahamians.
Both entities are Joint Commission International (JCI) accredited hospitals, making this partnership the first of its kind between two fully accredited, private medical facilities in the Caribbean. This patient-centered collaboration is envisioned as a first step in a deepening relationship between Doctors Hospital Bahamas and Health City Cayman Islands.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE COLLABORATION
Patient-centered Care: The partnership between Doctors Hospital Bahamas and Health City Cayman Islands ensures that patients remain at the center of care. For services that are not available in The Bahamas, patients will have access to Health City’s significant specialist capacity in a nearby tertiary care institution.
Continuity of Care: Both health systems have agreed to protocols to ensure patients will experience seamless continuity of care, coordinated through Doctors Hospital Bahamas. After discharge from HCCI facilities, patients will return to The Bahamas and continue to receive ongoing care from their originating physicians, who will be in constant contact with Health City physicians.
Coordinated Emergency Care: The coordinated effort between the two entities will prove especially beneficial in the handling of emergencies, where urgent medical evacuation is required. Both Doctors Hospital Bahamas and HCCI will work to provide end-to-end concierge medical evacuation services to ensure the best care for patients and the best experience for any traveling companions.
Reduction in Health Care Costs for Bahamians: The relationship is likely to significantly reduce the high cost of complex medical services typically not available in The Bahamas. Patients paying out of pocket and insurance companies will benefit from cost savings, potentially leading to reductions in the fiscal burden borne by Bahamian families and health care premiums. The relationship presents a clear alternative to U.S.-based medical care, which often presents as financially out of reach.
Dr. Charles Diggiss, President and CEO of Doctors Hospital Bahamas, expressed how the partnership aligns with the Health System’s vision of providing the best options for the people of The Bahamas. “Not only are we achieving immediate access to specialist services not traditionally available in The Bahamas; we will present an option for superior outcomes which Bahamians seek. Doctors Hospital and Health City share similar values, which are based on a shared commitment to high-quality patient care outcomes. We look forward to expanding our relationship further,” Diggiss noted.
Speaking on the partnership, Health City’s Clinical Director Dr. Binoy Chattuparambil emphasized, “We have had the privilege to help many children from The Bahamas with surgical interventions and are even more excited to deepen our relationships with our colleague clinicians at Doctors Hospital. This partnership will increase our ability to work with Doctors Hospital to serve more Bahamians of all ages, providing them with additional modalities of world-class health care.”
Health City’s Chief Business Officer Shomari Scott, who highlighted the significance of the partnership as Health City approaches its 10-year anniversary, noted, “Together, we can show that Caribbean entities can cooperate and find solutions for our region, holding hands for the betterment of our Caribbean brothers and sisters. We are pleased to work with Doctors Hospital Bahamas, who share Health City’s vision of advancing health care in the Caribbean by positively impacting people’s health journeys. Through partnerships like this, we can continue to bolster the Caribbean as a global hub for health care excellence.”
Zeroing in on the fiscal implications of the partnership, Doctors Hospital’s CFO Dennis Deveaux expressed, “Bahamians ought to expect world-class health care outcomes at Health City, coordinated through Doctors Hospital, but at a price point that will be significantly more accessible than other U.S.-based off-island choices. This has direct implications for cash paying patients immediately and will also curb the rate of growth of insurance premiums, given the high-cost environment which is typical in off-island care today,” Deveaux concluded.
ABOUT HEALTH CITY CAYMAN ISLANDS
Health City Cayman Islands is a medically advanced tertiary hospital located near High Rock in the district of East End in Grand Cayman. The brainchild of internationally-renowned heart surgeon and humanitarian Dr. Devi Shetty, it features a unique model of health care, built with a focus on the patient and rooted in innovative business models that allow the delivery of high quality, affordable care. A member of the Narayana Health network, Health City is the first hospital in the Caribbean and one of only six organizations globally to receive the prestigious Joint Commission International (JCI) Enterprise Accreditation.
Construction is currently underway at a 70,000-square-foot, state-of-the art modern medical facility being built on three acres of land in southern Camana Bay, at a cost of US$100 million. Upon completion, Health City Camana Bay will feature several medical specialties not currently available in the Cayman Islands. Key among those will be a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), an emergency pavilion and critical care unit, and a robust multispecialty program which includes robotic surgery. The facility is expected to be fully operational in 2024.
For more information visit www.healthcitycaymanislands.com.
ABOUT DOCTORS HOSPITAL BAHAMAS
Accredited by Joint Commission International in 2010, Doctors Hospital Health System (“Doctors Hospital”) is the premier tertiary health care institution in The Bahamas. Doctors Hospital Bahamas was formerly named The Rassin Hospital, founded in 1955 by the late Dr. Meyer Rassin, a leading orthopedic surgeon who opened the original 20,000 square-foot, 24-bed medical facility. Today, Doctors Hospital Bahamas is a 94-bed multi-site health system comprising two unique facilities. The main hospital, situated at the corner of Collins Avenue and Shirley Street, provides a full range of inpatient and outpatient services. Outside of the main hospital, Doctors Hospital Bahamas operates two outpatient centers in Grand Bahama, one urgent care center in Exuma, and several outpatient centers and retail pharmacies in New Providence.
For more information visit www.doctorshosp.com.
CAPTION: Teams from Health City and Doctors Hospital Bahamas are pictured here in the Cayman Islands.
