The Health Services Authority (HSA) is exploring ways to bring an air ambulance service to the Island. The HSA CEO, Craig Brown, acknowledged at the HSA forum for the business community that the air ambulance has been an ongoing issue in order to send patients overseas when medical necessity calls for it.

"Now all the air ambulances have to come from the US, which means it is a minimum of two hours before they can get here and there is no one on Island who provides that service," said Mr Brown.

"Cayman Brac and Little Cayman have the same issue. There should be a helicopter service from Cayman Brac and Little Cayman to Grand Cayman."

Mr Brown explained that the HSA has been in discussions with the Ministry of Health Services and CINICO over the introduction of a local air ambulance service.

HSA Cardiologist Dr Peter Schultz expressed concern that because there is not an invasive cardiac catheterization laboratory on Island - it is critical to transport a patient overseas on a timely basis for cardiac arrest.

However, he said it takes six to eight hours to get an air ambulance here so Dr Schultz asked if there was any way to speed up the process.

Whether or not to open cardiac catheterization lab on Island has caused much debate among the medical community. The HSA plans to implement a non-invasive catheterization lab in the coming months, but for procedures that require an invasive treatment, air ambulance transport to the US will still be needed.

In addition to cardiac arrest, there are concerns about getting care for post-natal emergency care for paediatrics.

Another issue is that most ambulance services are based in the US so if there is a storm in Florida and the Cayman Islands at the same time, air ambulance services are too busy transporting US patients with Caribbean patients taking a lower priority.

Having an air ambulance service on Island would likely be more reliable and cost-effective.

In a separate interview with Chrissie Tomlinson management, interim CEO Randall Arlett has said an air ambulance service is one of numerous capital-intensive projects Chrissie Tomlinson would like to collaborate over with HSA.

But over the last several years there appears to be little working relationship between the two hospitals. Some industry professionals have said there have been political issues blocking collaborative efforts with HSA management in the past. But when Cayman Net News asked Mr Brown about any efforts to collaborate with Chrissie Tomlinson, he said that he was open to exploring partnerships with them and plans to meet with the new hospital management sometime this month.

Another issue that was raised at the forum was the response time in the Accident and Emergency Department, especially as it relates to patients who may be in danger of committing suicide. Patients often wait several hours before they are seen.

The HSA Medical Director, Dr Tamer Tadros admitted there were some logistical problems with the Accident and Emergency Department.

"We are working to reorganise the Accident and Emergency concept," said Dr Tadros "This is not just for suicide but for everything." 

The waiting times for the Accident and Emergency Department and the General Practice clinic have been ongoing issues for the HSA. In a previous interview with Cayman Net News, Dr Tadros had stated that it was not clear at times when patients should visit the General Practice Clinic or the Emergency Room, which can create a backlog.

"If you are sick and come to the hospital you are already in a vulnerable position. Our obligation is not only to provide medical treatment, but to use the human approach to make the patient feel safe.

"This means our staff must appreciate the situation, give comfort and very quickly deal with the problem," added Dr Tadros.

shurna@caymannetnews.com