Caribbean Children to Get Free Cardiac Surgery Under Hospital Agreement

By Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division

Six Seventh-day Adventist hospitals across the Caribbean and Mexico will screen children for free cardiac surgeries at Health City Cayman Islands, a respected private hospital in the Cayman Islands, under a new partnership agreement.

The Adventist hospitals, part of Adventist Healthcare Services Inter-America, will aim to refer 100 patients aged zero to 18 for the free surgeries every year, according to a memorandum of understanding signed between Adventist Healthcare Services Inter-America and Health City Cayman Islands.

“We are honored to be part of this project,” said Chandy Abraham, CEO of Health City Cayman Islands as he addressed Inter-American Division church leaders on April 18. “The Seventh-day Adventist Church has mission hospitals across the Caribbean islands which align with the way we think.”

Under the five-year partnership, Health City Cayman Islands will establish cardiac catheterization laboratories with diagnostic imaging equipment that, among other things, visualizes heart arteries and chambers and treats abnormalities, and carry out minimally invasive surgeries at minimal cost to adults.

The arrangement is expected to allow the acquisition of new medical equipment and medicine at lower costs.

“This is a significant moment for the Inter-American Division,” said division president Israel Leito. “This joint project will expand the mission of this world-renowned institution and our Adventist hospitals to the general public where we are operating.”

The affiliation with the Cayman Islands hospital will give the Adventist hospitals direct access to new technical and other resources, said Elie Honore, president of Adventist Healthcare Services Inter-America.

“This is a good opportunity to serve our community at a very high level, where we would not be able to assist otherwise,” Honore said. “Our hospitals will be crucial in screening patients, who can benefit from this wonderful missionary ministry.”

Adventist hospitals which fall under the agreement include Andrews Hospital in Jamaica, Community Hospital in Trinidad, Antillean Adventist Hospital in Curacao, Vista del Jardin Medical Center in the Dominican Republic, and Haiti Adventist Hospital in Haiti.

The Adventist hospitals also will refer patients needing adult and pediatric services such as cardiothoracic and vascular surgery, cardiology, orthopedics, sports medicine, oncology, neuro sciences, pulmonology, and GI and bariatric surgery, to Health City Cayman Islands.

The signing ceremony took place at the Inter-American Division’s headquarters in Miami, Florida, with dozens of senior administrators from across the division’s territory in attendance.

The agreement will initially cover the five hospitals in the Caribbean and one in Mexico, but church leaders hope the project can be extended to the other 14 hospitals managed and operated by Adventist Healthcare Services Inter-America, Honores said.

Both parties in the partnership will collaborate on training and educational opportunities and assist in training and mentoring.

“We have been working on this memorandum for more than six months now and are so thankful to be part of this venture with Health City Cayman Islands,” Honore said.