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(CNS): In response to a parliamentary question about the number of inpatient hospital beds in the Cayman Islands, Health Minister Sabrina Turner gave an answer that defies math. She said there are currently 226 beds in all public and private hospitals. But when she broke down those numbers, the total was 244.
The minister told her fellow MPs on Monday that the new Health City Hospital in Camana Bay, which is about to open, will have 53 extra beds, while the Georgetown Government Hospital is also planning to add 11 beds by the end of next year.
Turner explained that the World Health Organization (WHO) provides a benchmark ratio for the number of hospital beds worldwide of 3.4 beds per 1,000 people. She said Cayman, with a population of 83,000, would need 282.2 beds to meet that benchmark. However, based on the 226-bed figure, she said the shortfall of 56 beds would be largely filled once the new Health City hospital begins admitting patients.
Responding to a question from Opposition MP David Wight, she said HSA Hospital in George Town has 104 beds (excluding neonatology and emergency departments), Faith Hospital in Cayman Brac has 18 beds, Health City Cayman Islands in East End has 104 beds and Doctors Hospital has 18 beds, for a total of 244 beds.
However, HCCI says on its website that its Eastside facility has 110 beds, while HSA says on its website that facility has 127 beds, but does not specify whether those are all inpatient beds. That would bring the total number of available beds to 273.
But Turner’s 83,000 figure is disputed. The current official figure, as of October last year, is just under 85,000, and with the population growing by more than 10% a year, the total is likely to be over the 90,000 mark now.
Furthermore, official population figures have been thought to be out of line with reality for years, with some suggesting the real figure is closer to 100,000. This means that the country should currently have around 340 hospital beds, even without taking into account future needs.
If Turner’s 226 bed figure is correct, then even with the 64 new beds expected in the near future, Cayman will have 50 beds short of what it needs. If the breakdown of 244 is correct, then there will be a shortfall of 32 beds. But if the website’s figure is correct, then with the new beds, Cayman will have 337 beds, which is only 3 beds short of the target number as long as the population does not exceed 100,000.
But another factor that affects the number of beds needed, which the Minister did not take into account in his response, is the number of overnight visitors, which averages over 8,000, in addition to the approximately 25,000 cruise ship passengers who add to the number of visitors each week. While they usually leave unscathed, many times they require medical assistance.
However, Turner told lawmakers that there are other more important factors affecting the demand for hospital beds besides the number of people, explaining that the relative health of the population determines the demand for care, so a healthier population requires fewer beds. She also pointed out that a country’s health care system plays a role in preventing and responding to health problems, and the spread of high-tech medical services reduces the need for hospitalization.
She said local services were good and accessible and the key issue was not the number of beds but whether we were denying care to anyone. The answer, she said, was no. “We are not aware of any situation where care could not be provided due to lack of beds,” the minister said in response to the question.
However, over the past few months, CNS has heard anecdotes from families who were not being denied care but were struggling to get the high-quality, timely care they needed due to a lack of staff and beds in government or private facilities.
In terms of outpatient services, emergency departments are increasingly struggling to cope with the volume of patients, and social media is flooded with posts about the poor level of care at various medical facilities.
CNS has reached out to the hospital and the Ministry of Health to clarify what plans are being made to address a possible bed shortage, the need for an expanded emergency department, and whether HCCI in the East End will become an emergency department provider along with HSA Hospital in Georgetown.
See the questions and answers below from CIGTV:
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