HEALTH
CITY OFFERS BEDS, VENTILATORS TO NATIONAL TREATMENT OF COVID-19
PATIENTS

Tertiary
care hospital has highest number of ventilated beds in the Cayman
Islands

CAYMAN ISLANDS (May 8, 2020)
– The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed hospitals around the word
into a state of high alert. In the Cayman Islands, there is still a
state of uncertainty regarding how the virus could potentially affect
the population. But Health City Cayman Islands is ready. The 104-bed
tertiary care facility has pledged 47 beds in a dedicated COVID-19
ward and 11 ventilated beds in its Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU)
to the Cayman Islands’ national treatment strategy to handle
COVID-19 cases.

As the only hospital
in the Cayman Islands, and indeed in the entire Caribbean region, to
offer the highest levels of sophisticated life support technology via
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), medical management at the
East End facility are confident that it is well placed to handle any
critical cases or any potential surge in numbers of severely affected
COVID-19 patients locally.

Clinical Director
Dr. Binoy Chattuparambil said, “Health City is the only tertiary
care facility on this island so [for] those patients who require that
tertiary care level of treatment, you know, like the heart attack or
stroke, or advanced liver surgery or complex orthopedic surgery or
spine surgery, obviously the cardiac surgery also…we are the only
facility.”

Dr. Chattuparambil
noted that Health City is a part of the Cayman Islands public/private
medical group navigating the territory’s way through previously
uncharted waters with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He explained, “We
had detailed very discussions with the government hospital under the
leadership of the Chief Medical Officer. So, all the stakeholders
were there in the meeting, [to determine] how every facility is
involved, or is going to be involved, or going to be helpful for this
scenario that we all anticipate.”

Several members of
Health City’s top management team have been extensively involved in
the national level preparations and strategy for treatment and
management of COVID-19 patients. One of these medical professionals
is Dr. Archita Joshi-Bhatt, Consultant Pulmonologist and the
hospital’s Head of Infection Control.

Dr. Joshi-Bhatt
outlined the facility’s capabilities and the resources pledged to
the country.

She said, “In
terms of what Health City can provide…I think we have now offered
the maximum number of beds for the care of COVID patients on island,
and this is predominately because we do have a lot of ventilators and
ventilated beds in the hospital.”

Dr. Joshi-Bhatt
explained further, “We have dedicated all 11 beds in the medical
intensive care unit to this purpose. We do have room for expansion,
if at some time this need arises. But as of now that’s our plan.
And we have designated beds on the entire second floor of our
hospital for this purpose. So, I think in terms of number of beds
itself, I think Health City would be able to offer the maximum number
of beds for this purpose, for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. And
we also have, of course, the maximum amount of ventilators on island
at this time.”

In addition to the
required beds and medical equipment, such as ventilators, the
availability of qualified and experienced staff is crucial in the
treatment of critical and severely affected patients.

Dr. Joshi-Bhatt
explained, “And, of course, [we have] the specialists who deal with
it, so we have an entire critical care team which would be designated
only as a COVID team at that time, in case of a surge.”

Statistically
worldwide, only a minority of COVID-19 patients have developed severe
symptoms – but of those that do, they require intensive treatment.

Dr. Chattuparambil
clarified, “You know that this COVID is a situation where most of
the majority of the patients will be either not symptomatic or [have
only] mild symptoms. Maybe ten to 15 per cent of the patients will
require hospitalization, but after that maybe five per cent will need
this mechanical ventilation.”

This, Dr.
Chattuparambil explained, is where Health City’s capabilities come
to the fore.

He said, “So, that
is a stage, [where] Health City plays one more level up in the game
actually, because we have the facility to treat those poor patients
who are not sustaining their oxygen level even with the highest mode
of ventilation with the artificial ventilators. We have the facility
to treat them with the machine called ECMO or Extracorporeal Membrane
Oxygenation. We have three of these machines. You know that we are
the only centre in the entire region with that facility.”

Dr. Joshi-Bhatt
highlighted the importance of having this capability available for
local patients.

She said, “Just to
help you understand in perspective, there are very few centres, even
worldwide, or say even in the United States, which we usually use as
our reference, which can provide these services. So, in way I think
we have a niche, where we can offer, you know, these services to
somebody who really needs it. Hopefully we won’t need it, but if
they do, we do have it available here.”

Expressing the
hospital’s position simply, yet effectively, Dr. Chattuparambil
said, “We are ready.”

(ENDS)

About
Health City Cayman Islands

Health
City Cayman Islands, the vision of renowned heart surgeon and
humanitarian Dr. Devi Shetty, is supported by Narayana Health, one of
India’s largest private healthcare systems. Health City, only the
second hospital in the Caribbean to receive the Joint Commission
International's "hospital accreditation", provides
compassionate, high-quality, affordable healthcare services in a
world-class, comfortable, patient-centered environment. Offering
healthcare to local, regional and international patients, Health City
Cayman Islands delivers excellence in adult and pediatric cardiology,
cardiac surgery, cardiac electrophysiology, medical oncology,
orthopedics, sports medicine, pediatric endocrinology,
gastrointestinal, hepato-pancreato-biliary and bariatric surgery,
neurology, interventional neurology and neuro-diagnostics,
neurosurgery, minimally invasive spine surgery, gynecology, urology,
pediatric allergies, colorectal surgery, dental, sleep lab and
pulmonology services.

For further information and to watch video, visit www.healthcitycaymanislands.com