The construction for Phase One of Health City Cayman Islands [better known as The Shetty Hospital] has commenced construction and is on schedule with first patients expected to check in to the 140-bed hospital in early 2014.

The concrete is being poured, the trucks line up in queue, waiting to deposit their loads, over 40 construction workers (most of them Caymanian), under the direction of general contractor Cayman Healthcare Construction Group, are working fulltime on the site. In 30 to 60 days, that number will increase dramatically to 200 to 300 workers – again, mostly Caymanians. Project Director Gene Thompson places the highest priority on offering opportunities to Caymanians, both during the construction phase and on an ongoing basis once the facility is operational.

Over the course of the last four years, the project has been through various stages, and some of the key milestones have been achieved.

In 2008, former Premier McKeeva Bush approached businessmen Gene Thompson and Harry Chandi, tasking them with coming up with suggestions to energize the Cayman economy. They jointly came up with the concept of medical tourism and communicated with Dr. Devi Shetty, a prominent cardiac surgeon (and friend of Harry Chandi) who oversaw a network of large hospitals in India.

After initial visits by Dr. Shetty to Cayman Islands, the Cayman Government represented by former Premier McKeeva Bush, Minister for Health Mark Scotland, Hon. Cline Glidden, Member, Legislative Assembly and Mr. Canover Watson, Chairman of the Health Services Authority visited Narayana Hrudayalaya’s flagship facility in Bangalore, India.

On April 7, 2010, in a televised news conference, Dr. Shetty on behalf of his organization, Narayana Hrudayalaya, and Premier Bush and Health Minister Mark Scotland on behalf of the Cayman Islands Government, signed the historic agreement.

Moving forward, in April 2012, a press conference was convened at The Ritz-Carlton to introduce Ascension Health Alliance and announce that Ascension had entered into a partnership with Narayana to build the Health City complex. Ascension Health Alliance and its subsidiaries comprise the largest Catholic and nonprofit health system in the United States.

In August 2012, the official groundbreaking took place on the East End site, with Dr. Shetty, Dr. Anthony R. Tersigni, President and Chief Executive Officer and John D. Doyle, Executive Vice President of Ascension Health Alliance, and hundreds of guests in attendance.

In January of this year the first PAD Approval in the history of the Cayman Islands was granted to Health City and the adjoining development. Planning approval for construction of the 107,000 square foot hospital building was granted on February 6, and the cement trucks began to line up within days. The “first pour,” as it’s called in the industry, took place on February 11.

While those may be the visible milestones, literally thousands of decisions have taken place in the background since the signing of the agreement with Health City Cayman Islands.

As a commitment to use innovation and new technologies, Health City Cayman Islands has initiated unique and advanced programs to mitigate the infrastructure impact of the project:

–          Waste management: Reduction of all areas of waste through recycling, reduced use, onsite sterilization of medical waste, incineration, and shredding.

–         Water usage: Use of rain water for non-potable uses; use of sewage effluent for landscaping irrigation; use of drought-resistant local flora and fauna for landscaping; and recycling of SWAC (Sea Water Air Conditioning) water by-product.

–         Energy conservation: Minimization of the electrical load on the existing system through use of Salt Water Air Conditioning (SWAC) and high-efficiency building design using insulated concrete forms (ICF).

–         Onsite Sewage system: Sewage to be treated onsite with high efficiency treatment systems, with the effluent being used for irrigation.

–         Landscaping: A non-commercial onsite nursery is in the process of being set up to propagate local plants and trees, provision for recycling felled trees and use of excavated peat in landscaping

–         Road infrastructure: A comprehensive road infrastructure plan has been designed to address Phase One and future phases of the development.

–         Utilities: Utilities such as power, water, telecom, cable TV, etc. will be places in designated reserves and will be installed underground.

The benefits Health City will bring to the Cayman Islands are just beginning but already substantial. Planning fees alone to Government have exceeded CI$300,000. A nonstop flow of building materials – steel, lumber, blocks, etc. – have been purchased whenever possible through Cayman vendors. Construction workers, attorneys, accountants, architects, consultants, hoteliers, restaurants, and other providers of essential products and services have already begun to benefit. The outreach campaign to attract Caymanian workers is also ramping up. Recruitment gatherings in several districts have taken place with applications (both for the construction trades and the eventual hospital operations) being accepted. Business was “brisk” at the Health City booth at the recent Chamber of Commerce Careers Expo held at UCCI as students, young aspirants, and seasoned professionals sought information on pursuing careers in healthcare.

The US$2 billion project will be built in phases over 15 years and will eventually include 2,000 beds. The multi-specialty Center of Excellence will provide services not widely available in the region such as open-heart and bypass surgery, angioplasty, heart-valve replacement, cancer treatment, and organ transplants.

For more on this story go to:

http://www.healthcitycaymanislands.com/news/health-city-cayman-islands-commences-construction