Seniors' Centreand MLA Office for Bodden Town
MLA, Hon.Roy Bodden, MLA, Hon. Gilbert McLean
Plans are in the making for the establishmentof an MLA office and a senior citizens centre in Bodden Town,district MLA and Minister for Education, Human Resources and Culture,the Hon. Roy Bodden has disclosed.
Speaking at a district meeting of the UnitedDemocratic Party (UDP) at the Bodden Town Civic Centre recently,Mr. Bodden and fellow MLA, Hon. Gilbert McLean updated residentson plans for the district, and national issues involving theirministries.
Mr. Bodden told residents that some $40-$50,000had been earmarked to convert the old clinic into a district MLAoffice to better facilitate regular office consultations. Thisshould be in place by year-end, he said.
The district will also get a new boat ramp,Mr. McLean told constituents.
Of his ministry, Mr. Bodden stated thatthe "objective is to give the Cayman Islands the best educationsystem it can have." He spoke of a programme to attract andtrain more Caymanians to the teaching profession and plans tocomputerize government schools, for which a team from IBM is nowconducting a technical audit.
"It is the UDP's objective to haveevery child who graduates from high school computer literate withinthe next five years," Mr. Bodden stated.
Stating that he was "determined tocorrect the situation with the health insurance laws," andthat health insurers "will have to give better service andcoverage" to their insureds, Mr. McLean, who is Ministerof Health, told his constituents that planned health service feeincreases that were to take effect in April, have been deferreduntil the completion of an actuarial study into local health insurancecosts.
He said that the Ministry had received apreliminary report from William Mercer, the consultants contractedto examine the hospital system, which identified certain areasof losses within the health services.
Noting that by 1st July the health serviceswill operate as a Health Authority, Mr. McLean disclosed thatGovernment had contracted with a third party medical servicesmanagement group, which will make arrangements for services withoverseas hospitals on behalf of the Cayman Islands.
Government, he said had renewed its contractwith Baptist Hospital, at a 39 percent reduction in the previouscost, with fees to be based on the rates charged to US patients,and with provisions for a nurse liaison between the hospital andpatients.
Both MLAs addressed their constituents onthe formation of the UDP, noting that it allowed persons withcommon aims and objectives to work together for the good of thecountry. Noting that the present constitutional review is an importantstep for the Cayman Islands, and that there was nothing wrongin advancing the system of government, Mr. Bodden urged his constituentsto "get involved" in the process.
"We cannot continue to choose our leadersthe way we have been doing over a pot of turtle stew,"he said.