Representatives from the Bay Island Roatan Hospital Relief Committee, MPs, private sector partners and other government officials await departure for Roatan, Honduras to present approximately CI$80k of medical supplies to the people of Honduras. (Credit: Paul Tibbetts)

(Grand Cayman, 16 May 2024) – The Cayman Islands Government has provided over CI$75k worth of medical supplies to Honduras and the Bay Islands, in response to the devastating fire that consumed the sole public hospital in Roatan on 19 April 2024. The items were hand delivered by and official delegation which comprised of Minister for Health & Wellness Hon. Sabrina Turner, Minister for Tourism & Ports Hon. Kenneth Bryan, Minister for Planning, Agriculture, Housing, Infrastructure, Transport and Development Hon. Johany “Jay” Ebanks and MP for West Bay West and Parliamentary Secretary Hon. McKeeva Bush.

The relief effort was spearheaded by the Bay Island Roatan Hospital Relief Committee, a multi-stakeholder body established on April 23, 2024, comprising of representatives from the Cayman Islands Government and the private sector. The committee was chaired by Parliamentary Secretary Bush with the support of Minister Ebanks as Deputy Chair, and was created with the singular objective of providing humanitarian support to the people of Roatan, as well as the surrounding islands of Bonacca and Utila, which also rely on the Roatan Hospital for medical services. “We are deeply thankful to our Government for joining this multi-stakeholder body to provide much-needed help to our brothers and sisters in Honduras”, MP Bush stated. 

The donation included a wide gamut of medical supplies, ranging from essentials like sterile gloves, gauze and needles to specialised equipment including incubators, fetal monitors and dopplers. Supplies were sourced from both the Health Services Authority (HSA) and Health City Cayman Islands (HCCI), at a value of approximately CI$56k and CI$30k respectively.