Healthcare practitioners on-Island provide services in public and private healthcare to three distinct demographics:
- Caymanians
- Expatriates and
- Medical Tourists
With nearly 4.5 Doctors and 6.3 nurses for every 1,000 people in Cayman, those seeking medical services can almost always find on-Island quality expertise that meets their needs.
Services fall into one of three sub-categories:
- Pre-Acute Care (Public Health Services, Primary Care, Pharmacy Services, Laboratory Services, Diagnostic Imaging Services)
- Acute Care (Urgent Care, Accident or Emergency Care, Inpatient General Hospitals, Medical Tourism)
- Post-Acute Care (Home Care, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities, Long-Term Care and Nursing Homes, Palliative and Hospice Care).
Although on-Island care is available across these areas, residents may go to Florida for speciality assessments or treatments upon referral.
Aligning with global trends, those between the ages of 0-14 and over the age of 65 are the groups which access the most health services. According to a 2017 Auditor General’s report on the local Healthcare Sector, the greatest health concern for children under the age of 14 has been obesity with the rate hovering at around approximately 50%. This is higher than both the wider Caribbean and US averages. To help combat this, the Ministry of Sport, Ministry of Community Affairs and the Department of Children and Family Services have all been part of creating programmes that encourage education, prevention and action on this issue.
For those over 65, heart conditions and chronic disease (including circulatory, cancer, respiratory, endocrine and metabolic diseases) are the lead cause of hospital visits and death. Positively, Cayman’s average life expectancy is above that of the Americas showing 75 for men and 79 for women.