contribution to the throne speech and 2016/17 budget ... · health care providers and patients, but...

Cayman Islands Government

Contribution to

The throne speech and 2016/17 budget address

By

COUNCILLOR ROY MCTAGGART

Counci l lor responsible for Health & Culture

Wednesday, 1 June 2016

Madam Speaker, it is a great privilege to stand before you today

and offer contributions on behalf of the Ministry of Health & Culture to

the 2016/17 debate on the budget and throne speech.

Review of 2015-16 Budget Year

Madam Speaker, the Ministry of Health & Culture, and the

agencies under the Ministry, have been working diligently over the

past year to provide the highest standards of service and deliver the

policies that we work so hard to put into place.

As we all strive to adhere to fiscal restraints while focusing on

excellence, this presents many challenges. I am pleased to say that

due to the hard work of everyone in the Ministry, we have been able

to achieve much of what we set out to do in the past financial year.

I take this opportunity to thank my team at the Ministry, and in

our agencies, for their efforts. Each role, from administrative staff to

chief officer is extremely important, and it is the team effort that

moves our country forward.

Health

Madam Speaker, first let me touch upon the work we have been

doing in Ministry of Health. No matter the good economic fortunes

that this country is blessed with, we must never forget that without

our health, we have nothing at all. While it is the responsibility of

each and every resident to ensure they lead a healthy lifestyle, it is

the responsibility of government to ensure that health care services

are in places when needed. The Ministry of Health therefore plays a

crucial role in the well-being of the people of the Cayman Islands.

Mental health

Madam Speaker, let me speak first about mental health. This is

an issue that continues to be of paramount importance and is a

priority for this administration. We are acutely aware that we fall short

in this area of health care provision and we are actively engaged in

moving towards treatment and facilities that our community needs.

Spearheaded and championed by Dr. Marc Lockhart, the

steering committee that was set up to create a long-term residential

mental health facility is making good progress.

I am pleased to note that a stakeholders’ workshop was held in

conjunction with Pan American Health Organization experts to

develop the first mental health policy for the Cayman Islands.

The steering committee, along with experts including consulting

firm KPMG, has now produced the outline business case, which is

expected to go out for public consultation shortly.

A long-term residential mental health facility will allow

individuals suffering from a mental illness to receive treatment and

care from a multidisciplinary team of experts. Patients will engage in

various activities and structured programmes depending on their

needs, in an effort to achieve wellness and recovery.

Madam Speaker, I remind this house that there is currently no

long-term residential mental health facility in the Cayman Islands, yet

the number of patients needing this type of care currently ranges

between 30 and 40 persons.

Approximately half of these patients must be treated abroad,

usually in Jamaica or the United States. The problem is further

compounded by the fact that many who require treatment cannot go

overseas to access health care because of a criminal history that

prohibits them from travelling.

The provision of a long-term residential mental health facility will

remove many of these barriers that our patients presently face.

Importantly, they will receive treatment in our community, which is

only fitting. Whether we are physically or mentally ill, we all deserve

the best treatment that is available, in a safe and secure

environment.

Madam Speaker, the Ministry of Health has also made great

strides in other areas of national importance, including amendments

to laws and regulations:

For example:

* The Health Insurance Law and regulations were amended

* Section 12 of the Health Services Authority Law was amended

* Amendments to the Pharmacy Law are underway

* Amendments to the Tobacco regulations are underway

* Amendments to the Health Practice Law (regarding

Institutional Registration) are underway

* The first Laboratory policy for the Cayman Islands was

developed

* The HIV/STI policy was revised

Health Care Conference

The 2015 annual healthcare conference, chaired by Ministry of

Health Chief Officer Jennifer Ahearn, was a great success. It

attracted some of the most eminent medical professionals from

overseas to our shores. Not only is this encouraging for our own

health care providers and patients, but it helps put the Cayman

Islands on the map in terms of being a centre of excellence in the

field of medicine. With Health City Cayman Islands firmly establishing

itself as a medical tourism destination, we look forward to welcoming

an increased number of patients and medical personnel to East End.

We also look forward to an equally exciting and enlightening

conference in October this year as word spreads, here and abroad,

about the calibre of professionals attending and the international

importance of the subjects being discussed.

Deputy Governor’s 5K Challenge

On a note closer to home, I must offer my personal

congratulations to Deputy Governor Franz Manderson for leading the

annual DG’s 5K Challenge. This walk/run, in which myself and my

wife also took part this year, raises money for a good cause and

unites the public and private sector in the shared goal of personal

fitness, while at the same time giving back to the community.

Mr. Manderson is to be commended for leading by example. As

head of the Civil Service, he is in inspiration to us all and literally

“walks the walk”. As well as overseeing the day-to-day business of

running the machinery of government, and often undertaking matters

of state, he still finds time to exercise after work. At weekends, he

regularly participates in other charity 5K events too.

This year, I am delighted that the beneficiary was Cayman Heart

Fund, which was raising $150,000 for a new ambulance for the

Health Services Authority. The gift of this vehicle means that already

over-stretched government funds can be freed-up for other vital

medical equipment and services. At the same time, all of us who took

part or donated in some way in the DG’s 5K, know that, as a

community, we have come together to buy an ambulance that could

one day save our own life or the life of a loved one.

Environmental Health

Madam Speaker, with regards to environmental health, it has

also been a very busy year, with many issues to tackle.

MRCU/Oxitec Project

One of the most exciting developments in terms of environmental

health this past year has been the recent announcement by Premier

Hon. Alden McLaughlin of new mosquito control measures we are

launching in the Cayman Islands.

The Mosquito Research and Control Unit, which has for many

years sought to control and eradicate the scourge of mosquitoes on

these islands, has partnered with international biotechnology

company Oxitec to fight the Aedes aegypti.

This is the invasive breed of mosquito that is becoming

increasingly resistant to conventional insecticide controls, and carries

dangerous diseases such as Zika, dengue and chikungunya, which

pose a very real threat to the Cayman Islands.

Using cutting edge science, Oxitec has developed a technique

to control this mosquito by means of genetic engineering. The

method has undergone vigorous testing and has been recommended

by the World Health Organization to combat the current outbreak of

Zika in the Americas and across the world.

I will touch more on the work being done by MRCU and

Oxitec later, but I want to say how pleased I am that the Cayman

Islands is leading the fight against Aedes aegypti, which is causing

havoc to the health of citizens in the countries which surround us and

is threat for which we in the Cayman Islands must be prepared.

New scientific methods to overcome disease are often alarming

when initially introduced, but I want to assure this house and all

residents of the Cayman Islands, that we have given thorough

consideration to the Oxitec method, including the safety of the

technique, and are confident that this is best way forward to protect

the health of the nation.

ISWMS

One of the other top items on the DEH agenda this past year

has been, and continues to be, the Integrated Solid Waste

Management System (ISWMS).

In late 2014, multi-national engineering company AMEC Foster

Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure was awarded the contract to

prepare a national policy and strategy to determine the direction of

solid waste management in the Cayman Islands for the next 50

years.

In this agreement, AMEC was also tasked with preparing an

outline business case and providing procurement support for an

integrated solid waste management system (ISWMS) that will be

based on that strategy. Together with KPMG, AMEC - which has

operations in 40 countries and extensive experience in waste

management planning - commenced work on assisting the Ministry

on this strategic engagement to create a financially feasible and

sustainable plan to enhance the environmental health of our country.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to report that following the work

of the steering committee and other key stakeholders along with

Amec Foster Wheeler, this strategy has now been drawn up.

The Cayman Islands has its first solid waste management

policy.

Extensive consultation with experts including KPMG and Amec

Foster Wheeler, as well as the public, has seen the required project

outline business case for the ISWMS project completed.

We now look forward to moving this project to the next stage

and ultimately to having a waste management system that we can be

proud of in the Cayman Islands.

Recycling

Madam Speaker, remaining with the topic of waste

management, the government is now offering an expanded public

recycling programme.

Following private sector withdrawal from the public recycling

initiative, the DEH has taken over this service.

I am pleased to say that the service has also been improved,

with the inclusion of steel cans amongst the items that can now be

recycled. Drop-off points now allow for separation of recyclables,

rather than items being mingled together as happened previously.

DEH will continue to build upon this service for a two-year

interim period until the integrated solid waste management system is

in place.

It is imperative, Madam Speaker, for disposal to be the very end

of the line with waste management; we must all make individual and

collective efforts to first reduce our consumption, reuse items, recycle

once they cannot be reused any longer, recover any energy or

further use from them, and only when all of these steps have been

taken, seek to dispose.

Tyres

Another pressing issue on the subject of waste management is,

of course, the ever-increasing pile of used tyres that we have in the

Cayman Islands.

There has been no easy solution to this mounting issue over the

years and the old tyres continue to pose an environmental health

threat.

Madam Speaker, this government takes the issue of tyre

disposal extremely seriously and, as Councillor in the Minstry of

Health, nobody is keener than I am to have this blot on our

landscape removed. It is imperative that we extinguish any risks from

toxic smoke when the dump goes on fire, which we know from

experience it does all too often.

With that in mind, I am heartened to tell you that a request for

proposals was issued this past year and a conditional reward has

been made.

Funding has been identified by Cabinet and the eyesore of the

tyres should be eradicated over the course of the next financial year.

Ministry of Culture

Turning to culture now, Madam Speaker,

Culture and Heritage Policy

I am delighted to tell this honourable house, Madam Speaker,

that work is under way to develop the first Culture and Heritage

Policy for the Cayman Islands.

This is being done in conjunction with UNESCO expertise, and

we have set up a steering committee with six sub-committees to

explore each aspect of this proposed policy.

Madam Speaker, it is all too easy to take our culture and

heritage for granted but we cannot let this happen. As our society

becomes more and more culturally diverse, we need to have a

proper framework to protect our precious heritage and to encourage

our culture to flourish. The arts, in all their forms, are an expression

of who we are as a people and are an intrinsic part of our society.

Heritage and cultural activity can be a medium for intercultural

dialogue, a means of ethical reflection, and the potential basis for

local economic development, particularly now with the growth of the

creative industries of film, music, acting, visual arts, culinary arts and

others.

I am very pleased that this facet of our island life is finally being

addressed and hope that soon culture and heritage will no longer be

on the fringes of our consciousness but will be enshrined in our

constitution.

National Heroes Day 2016

Madam Speaker, touching briefly on the subject of National

Heroes Day now, the Ministry of Culture chaired the 2016 event,

which focused on agriculture.

As we do each year with different themes, we honoured our

early farmers for their pioneering work in the field of agriculture, We

also recognised outstanding present-day farmers who ensure we

have the finest fresh fruit and vegetables as well as top quality local

meat and dairy products.

In addition, Honourable Premier announced the ninth National

Hero of the Cayman Islands, the late Dr. Roy McTaggart who joins

the ranks of our distinguished forefathers in helping to shape this

country, alongside our own living national treasure, Ms Sybil

McLaughlin, former Speaker of this House.

Ministry Of Health & Culture – Specifics

Madam Speaker, I now take this opportunity to outline some specific

achievements of the departments and agencies under the ambit of

the Ministry of Health & Culture.

The Health Services Authority – 2015/16

Madam Speaker the Health Services Authority will continue the

implementation of their strategic plan, with the aims of continuing to

improve the quality of patient care, empowering staff and improving

their financial sustainability. In 2015/16, the HSA achieved the

following:

Clinical

• The Acute Care Clinic Pilot Project started in July 2015.

This initiative reduced the waiting time for acute care

patients without an appointment at A&E or GP. Three new

physicians were hired for the pilot. It has been noticed that

the amount of patients waiting to be seen at A&E has

decreased significantly. The data for the period July 7 -

September 30, 2015 showed that the waiting time for

“walk-in” patients was an average at 53 minutes from

registration through to being seen by the doctor.

• Operating Room restructuring to improve efficiency,

productivity and communication.

• The Ambulatory Care Unit revised its opening hours to

start at 6 a.m. as of September 1 to support early surgery

in the operating room.

• Tobacco Cessation Programme continues.

• Expansion of Forensics Department space by creating a

new examination and archive room.

• Hire of a returning Caymanian dentist in September 2015.

She is a young graduate who studied in the U.K.

• People Living with HIV Resource Guide – With the help of

a patient, a patient guide has been developed for newly

diagnosed persons in order to assist with steps forward

and for long-term patients, reminding them of their care

and treatment.

• Medical scholarships – Collaboration with the Seafarers

Association and Education Council to send three

physicians overseas for specialisation.

Pharmacy

• Identified alternate sources for procurement of drugs.

• An affordable equivalent formulary (based on WHO essential

list) has been developed and implemented

• Revised pharmacy pricing policy.

• Pharmacy restructuring to enhance the pharmacy system

through: greater dispensing accountability; financial diligence,

profitability and accountability; medication error prevention;

IT: There were also improvement to the HSA’s IT system, including

the launch of the patient portal online registration system which went

live in August 2015.

Sister Islands

• Helipad at Faith Hospital – the area for this facility has been

cleared, the paving completed and special paint is on order for

the striping. However it has already been put to good use over

the weekend when a patient experiencing a cardiac emergency

was airlifted to Health City Cayman Islands.

• Upgrades to the morgue

• Six Caymanians trained as EMTs (the training course and

examination were conducted at Faith Hospital). Four are

currently employed in the HSA’s EMS department.

• Upgrade of the Faith Hospital laboratory which allows acute

medical conditions like heart attacks and clots in the lung to be

diagnosed onsite. This has reduced the amount of blood

samples sent over to Grand Cayman for testing, thereby

improving patient care and, ultimately, the outcome.

• Hiring of a speech therapist - Approximately 15 to 17 children

living on the Brac require the services of a speech therapist.

Until now, only two of these children have been seen by the

Cayman Islands Hospital speech therapist, and the Education

Department’s visiting speech therapist has not been able to

keep up with the workload demand for the others.

• New air conditioning for Little Cayman Clinic.

Finance

• Implementation of Payment Policy (2nd phase).

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Facilities

• The new backup generator for the main hospital is nearing

completion. This will carry everything in the hospital,

including radiology equipment, which was not previously

accessible when CUC power was down.

• Installation of backup generators at all district health centres.

• Renovation of the old Lighthouse School building to house IT

services.

• Access Control – A swipe card system has been installed at

the hospital for the security of both staff and patients.

The Department of Health Regulatory Services– 2015/16

In 2015/16, the Department of Health Regulatory Services

achieved the following:

• All registered healthcare practitioners, healthcare facilities

and approved insurers were advised on September 18, 2015

that the Ministry of Health, in consultation with the

Department of Health Regulatory Services, had determined

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that it was necessary to introduce the implementation of the

International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-

10 codes) in the Cayman Islands by no later than October 1,

2016. The approved insurers and healthcare providers are

making good progress with the transition to the ICD-10

codes.

• The Standard Health Insurance Fees (SHIF) was reviewed

by an actuarial consultant firm. Recommendations are

currently under consideration to update the SHIF schedule.

• The Inspectorate Team completed audits and site visits to all

approved insurers.

• The Administrative Fines system to process some health

insurance offences was successfully introduced and utilised

by the Commission to enhance enforcement efforts.

Thousands of dollars in fines were successfully processed,

including a “procedural fine” of $5,000 that was recently

issued against an approved insurer.

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• In consultation with the Department of Commerce and

Investment, a certificate of compliance for health insurance

was introduced to ensure that employers are providing valid

information relating to health insurance when applying for

trade and business licenses. It is anticipated that this

initiative will be extended to other government departments

and statutory authorities that issue various licences, to

enable and support a culture of compliance with various

legislations.

• The total number of insured persons as reported by the

approved insurers as of May 2016 was 58, 438.

• The total number of registered healthcare facilities as of April

2016 was 126.

• The total number of registered healthcare practitioners as of

April 2016 was 1,171.

The number of practitioners by Council:

i. Council for Professions Allied with Medicine - 283

ii. Medical & Dental Council - 440

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iii. Nursing & Midwifery Council – 380

iv. Pharmacy Council – 68

The Mosquito Research and Control Unit - 2015/16

In 2015/16, the Mosquito Research and Control Unit (MRCU)

achieved the following:

• Negotiated and signed a contract with biotechnology

company Oxitec to embark on a collaborative project using

genetically engineered mosquitoes to suppress populations

of the disease vector Aedes aegypti. This is a major

development in mosquito control, and will address the public

health imperative and threat of dengue, chikungunya and

Zika viruses in the Cayman Islands, and will keep MRCU at

the forefront of innovative scientific methodology, both in

research and control.

• Procured a custom-built, specifically designed aircraft loader,

manufactured to load the aircraft with larvicide pellets, in

order to greatly improve the health & safety of ground crews

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and to maximise the efficiency of time-consuming loading

operations.

• Recruited a young Caymanian pilot, with requisite

experience as an agricultural pilot, into MRCU’s aerial

operations programme. The individual is presently

undertaking a comprehensive mentoring scheme, designed

by MRCU chief pilot and approved by the Cayman Islands

Civil Aviation Authority, to develop the skills and local

knowledge to become fully conversant with all MRCU’s flight

operations and mosquito control techniques.

• Successfully completed three large-scale aerial larviciding

operations, treating 16,000 acres on all three islands with

specially designed pellets to prevent swamp, as well as

pastureland, nuisance mosquito emergence.

• Made the technical transition in terms of aerial operations

from a traditional larvicide product, which had lost its

continued United States Environmental Protection Agency

approval, to a newly-developed product with enhanced

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environmental features and is a winner of the “Presidential

Green Chemistry Challenge Award”, to ensure continuity of

mosquito control measures and to address issues of

chemical resistance.

• Upgraded a range of equipment, including computer control

systems on ground fogging machines, and various

improvements in aircraft instrumentation, to maintain

advances in equipment technology.

• It is interesting and gratifying to note, due to the

collaboration between Oxitec and MRCU, that Oxitec

Cayman Ltd has employed four young local people (three

Caymanians and one spouse of a Caymanian) to work on

the exciting project to be undertaken in the joint effort to

combat Aedes aegypti and the disease threat it represents.

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Department of Environmental Health - 2015/2016

Madam Speaker, in 2015/2016, as well as moving forward

the Integrated Solid Waste Management project, the Department

of Environmental Health (DEH), continued to carry out important

work to maintain and bolster the health of the environment:

• Cayman Brac was under the watchful eye of DEH officers

for two of its resorts that have been closed for many

years: The Divi Tiara Hotel and the Alexander Hotel. In

the past, DEH served a notice on Divi Tiara but had little

results with compliance and the notices were returned to

the DEH’s office. On January 14, 2014, a new notice was

served on the property to abate the nuisances, including

clearing the property of the overgrowth vegetation and

removal of debris from the buildings. No further action was

taken by the owners of the property. The extended

deadline for compliance of the notice expired on May 31,

2014. A request for an Abatement Order was made to the

courts via the Attorney General chambers, in December

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2014. Thankfully, the Divi Tiara site was cleaned in 2016

in compliance with the DEH’s outstanding Abatement

Notice and a Sister Islands Development and Planning

Notice served on the property. The Alexander Hotel,

which has also been shut down for a few years now, is

showing signs of overgrown vegetation, and becoming a

nuisance under the Public Health Law 2002 Revision.

Shifting to Culture now, Madam Speaker, and our three main

national cultural organisations – The National Gallery, National

Museum, and Cayman National Cultural Foundation.

Madam Speaker, all three of these cultural entities have

ongoing programmes and events that showcase our cultural

heritage. They make us proud of our past, celebrate the present

and let us look forward to a diverse and vibrant future.

Examples include libraries, lecture series, tours, courses and

workshops, apprenticeships, internships, and scholarships.

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These national cultural organisations are a delight to locals and

visitors alike.

National Gallery of the Cayman Islands – 2015/16

Madam Speaker, in the past fiscal year the National Gallery has:

• Connected to 6,328 local students through programming,

school tours and festivals, and recorded approximately

18,000 visitors.

• Executed 25 monthly (some weekly) educational

programmes for Cayman Islands community, in Grand

Cayman and Cayman Brac.

• Hosted 15 art exhibitions (on and off site) with related series

of educational workshops, screenings and lectures for each;

these have also helped to establish local and international

partnerships including collaborations with the National Art

Gallery of the Bahamas; Independent Curators International

(New York); and the Contemporary Arts Centre (New

Orleans).

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• Established the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands Art

Fund to help secure future acquisitions for the National

Collection.

• Maintained the Gallery’s Top Employer Award 2015/16.

• Expanded career development opportunities for young

creative Caymanians by formalising the Creative Careers

Programme - a career development, work experience and

summer internship programme. The gallery welcomed 30

students at these programmes, not including students

volunteering for special events like Family Fun day festivals

etc.

Cayman National Cultural Foundation 2015-16

Madam Speaker, as usual CNCF has been extremely busy

promoting the arts in the Cayman Islands. I am pleased to note

that our artists of every genre are receiving exposure. In 2015-16,

CNCF marked the following achievements:

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• Carifesta XII, the Caribbean Festival of Arts. With funding

from the Ministry of Culture, the Cayman National Cultural

Foundation (CNCF) coordinated the Cayman Islands’

participation at this 12th iteration of the Caribbean Festival of

the Arts in Port au Prince, Haiti in August last year. The

most highly regarded multi-disciplinary arts and culture

festival in the Caribbean, Carifesta was conceived to

showcase the artistic richness, creativity and diversity of the

region and its diasporas. The 2015 hosts, Haiti, chose the

theme “Our Roots, Our Culture, Our Common Future”,

highlighting the spirit of camaraderie derived from the shared

experiences of the history, culture and development of the

region. The Cayman Islands was represented by a

captivating exhibition of paintings and sculpture from the

national collections of the National Cultural Foundation, the

National Museum and the National Gallery. Featuring five

Caymanian intuitive artists – Gladwyn Bush, Harvey Ebanks,

Harold Banks, Luelan Bodden and Edney McLean – it was

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held at one of the most notable galleries in Haiti and was

well received by the more than 2,000 individuals who visited

the exhibition over the course of the week, including Haiti’s

Minister of Culture. During the festival symposia, the

Cayman Islands contingent gave two art talks, for which

there was standing room only. Among the other cultural

exchange activities offered was the opportunity for members

of the contingent to join in the painting of a mural at the

National School of Art.

• Grammy awardees featured at Cayfest

The Cayman Islands National Festival of Arts, Cayfest 2016,

featured two Grammy award-winning artists this year,

Cayman’s own music producer, Jason ‘JG’ Gilbert, and

electro-jazz cellist/trombonist/composer Dana Leong from the

United States. The two, along with local musicians Samuel

Rose of Swanky Kitchen Band and Charles Gregory of

Hopscotch Productions, produced an original track inspired

by the work of the late great musical icon ‘Aunt’ Julia Hydes,

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which they performed live at the Red Sky at Night festival to

standing ovations. Leong also appeared at the National Arts

& Culture Awards, and participated in a panel discussion on

the arts with Ministry of Culture Deputy Chief Officer, Nancy

Barnard, and CNCF Artistic Director, Henry Muttoo.

Among the other major Cayfest components this year was:

• The 2016 National Arts & Culture Awards Show, which

aired in full on CIG TV. Heritage Cross, Star for Creativity

in the Arts and other awards and certificates were

presented to more than 20 recipients, representing a wide

cross-section of arts and culture animation in the Cayman

Islands.

• Cayman Islands Folk Singers’ Home & Away Concert –

Much like the Folk Singers’ performances in the past, the

enthusiastically received concert inspired nostalgia

amongst audiences, who do not often get to hear these

time-honoured songs, other than at a Folk Singers’ show.

The group, formed in 2009 by CNCF, is a company of

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amateur singers and musicians primarily dedicated to

preserving, celebrating and propagating the musical

traditions of the Cayman Islands. In the years since their

inception, the company has been showcasing Cayman’s

rich musical heritage, telling “the Caymanian story” through

song. The Folk Singers have an impressive repertoire of

Caymanian compositions, such as music from “Aunt” Julia

Hydes and Lilah Ebanks, as well as beloved songs from

around the region.

• Red Sky at Night festival. Some 2,000 people attended

and participated in Red Sky at Night which offered virtually

every performing arts genre represented in Cayman, from

classical dance, to Cayman folk, hip hop, reggae, and jazz

music. Artisans crowded along Thatch Walk at the cultural

centre displaying and selling their creations.

Representatives from several cultural organisations gave

talks and made presentations on everything from catboats

to stargazing. Poetry reading, steel pan music and the

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Cayman Islands Folk Singers added to the lively

atmosphere.

• Harquail Theatre 30th anniversary

To mark the Harquail's 30th anniversary, 30 events at the

cultural centre have been billed as anniversary events,

including some imported fare:

! Pantomime by Nobel laureate Derek Walcott

! Sizwe Banzi is Dead by Athol Fugard, with John Kani

and Winston Ntshona

And local productions:

! The drama, The Fallen Angel and the Devil Concubine,

a collective creation by Groundwork Theatre Company

of Jamaica

! The ever popular comedy, Rundown 2016, written and

directed by Henry Muttoo

! Patricia Bent’s National Playwriting Competition winning

musical, Isabel, planned for presentation by the Young

at Arts Summer Intensive students

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And other events, including:

! The unveiling of the Young at Arts Collective, featuring

30 students’ depictions of 30 seminal moments and

personalities in the history of the Harquail Theatre.

! The FOUNDATION Arts and Culture Journal of the

Cayman Islands was published,

Volume IV (four) of the literary journal, released in

February, focuses on heritage preservation through

reminiscences of individuals from Cayman Brac and

Little Cayman.

Cayman Islands National Museum 2015-16

Madam Speaker, this past year has been very special for our

National Museum, as the institution celebrates its 25th

anniversary. Housed in one of our most splendid heritage

buildings overlooking the waterfront, the Museum will also be a

cornerstone in the plans to revitalise George Town as we cast our

gaze towards the next quarter century and beyond.

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The Museum’s accomplishments for the 2015/16 fiscal year

include:

! Notably, a significant fundraising drive for the Museum’s 25th

anniversary exhibition and building preservation plans.

! Adoption of a strategic plan for 2015-2020, and the

beginning of an operation plan for the vision-alignment of the

Ministry, Museum board, management and staff, This will

address policy development, staffing, curation, collections,

conservation, exhibitions, education, programmes,

archaeology, finance, operations and management.

• Museum collection and support facility – the Museum’s

9,300 artefacts and new acquisitions continued to be

preserved, conserved, managed and entered into a digital

Collections Management Programme with on-going

research, photographs, and condition reports.

• In addition to an exceptional audio-visual experience,

interpreted garden, and permanent Natural and Cultural

History Galleries, the Museum provided five changing

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exhibitions through the year, and a series of 25th anniversary

and traditional Looky Ya! events. The Museum also

continued with the shop, and the popular Old Gaol Café.

! In another educational programme, the Museum provided

complimentary school and special partner tours, a speaker

series, a monthly radio programme, and launched a new 25th

anniversary publication Twenty-Five Years: Piece by Piece.

! Members of the Museum have also come on board with the

plans for the National Culture & Heritage Policy, serving in

various capacities.

Looking Ahead to 2016/17

Madam Speaker, while much has been achieved over the past

year, looking forward to the 2016/17 financial year, there is still a

great deal to be done. I will now briefly outline some of the

Ministry agencies’ plans for the forthcoming fiscal year, a few of

which I already mentioned earlier.

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! The proposed Long Term Residential Mental Health Facility,

as supported by the World Health Organization Assessment

Instrument for Mental Health Services report, and the recent

outline business case by KPMG, will be a priority. The

Ministry will continue to work with the steering committee for

this important project to move the procurement forward,

following the processes prescribed by the Framework for

Fiscal Responsibility. Funds have been allocated in the

upcoming budget to progress the project through the design

stages to prepare for the procurement of the building in

subsequent financial years.

! A registry will be established for, and active surveillance will

be undertaken of, non-communicable diseases to enable the

collection and analysis of data that will allow for the planning

and allocation of resources. This will have a number of

benefits, including:

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o Providing statistics to compare to global trends in non-

communicable diseases

o Assisting in more accurate projections of health care

costs for the population

o Programmes and services aimed at primary and

secondary prevention of non-communicable diseases

o Facilitating more accurate predictions of the impact of

non-communicable diseases on the workforce and the

economy.

• Theregistrationprocessforhealthcarepractitionerswillbe

reviewedbytheDepartmentofHealthRegulatoryServices,witha

viewtointroducinganelectronicsystemtofileapplications.They

willalsoworkwiththeHealthInsuranceCommissionto

investigatethefeasibilityofanationalhealthinsuranceplanfor

retireesandseniorcitizens.

• TheMinistrywillcontinueitsworkontheprocurementofthe

IntegratedSolidWasteManagementSystemfortheCayman

Islands.Thisprojecthasreachedthedraftoutlinebusinesscase

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stage,whichwearecurrentlyreviewinganddiscussingtheway

forward.Itisexpectedthattherequestforproposalforthis

projectwillbeissuedinlate2016,withaviewtoacontractaward

inearly2017.

• TheDepartmentofEnvironmentalHealthwillcontinuetoimprove

thesolidwasteoperationsandefficiencyonallthreeislands,and

willintroducetheirnew“zerolitter”campaign.Areviewofthe

EnvironmentalHealthLawsandassociatedregulationswillalsobe

undertakentomoreeffectivelyregulatealloftheenvironmental

healthandwastemanagementfunctions.

• TheMosquitoResearchandControlUnitwillcontinueitsresearch

andworkinmosquitocontrol,includinganintegratedprogramme

usingavarietyofcontrolmethodsaimedatreducingthe

populationofourprimarymosquito-bornediseasevector,the

Aedesaegyptimosquito.Thisisofparticularimportanceto

minimisetheriskoftransmissionofdengue,chikungunya,and

ZikavirusesintheCaymanIslands.

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• TheMinistry,inconjunctiontheNationalGallery,theCayman

NationalCulturalFoundationandtheNationalMuseumwill

continueitsworkonthefirst-everNationalCultureandHeritage

PolicyandStrategicPlan,withapolicybeingpresentedtothe

publicfortheirreviewandcommentinthefallof2016.In

additiontotheirworkonthispolicy,theculturalentitieswill

continuetooffertheirmanyoutstandingprogrammes,aimedat

preservingandpromotingtheCaymanIslands’cultureand

heritage.

Some of the specific department and agency plans for 2016/2017

Madam Speaker, are as follows:

Mosquito Research & Control Unit 2015-2016

Madam Speaker, the MRCU plans:

• Disease Prevention

To reduce populations of the disease vector mosquito, Aedes

aegypti, through an integrated programme utilising as many

control methods as may be viable, as approved and

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recommended by the World Health Organization, in order to

minimise the risk of transmission of dengue, chikungunya and

Zika viruses in the Cayman Islands.

• Aerial Larviciding

To conduct at least three, and possibly four, large-scale aerial

larviciding operations, covering approximately 16,000 acres with

control pellets, treating mosquito-breeding sites on all three

islands, thereby preventing the emergence of biting swamp

mosquitoes by the safest and most effective methods available

and protecting Cayman’s quality of life and tourist industry.

• Ground Control Programmes

To further develop a range of ground [as distinct from aerial]

mosquito control measures at MRCU, including the treatment of

storm drains, septic systems around schools, business premises

and homes, apply barrier treatments to protect outdoor events; to

treat small semi-permanent breeding sites, and to investigate

novel methods to improve this overall programme as a means to

complement large-scale aerial control methods.

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• Scientific Research

To continue the long-standing programme and tradition of

scientific research conducted at MRCU, on a variety of

science topics, including aspects of mosquito biology,

biological methods of control, modern techniques in

applications systems (particularly larviciding), in

collaboration with recognised and renowned research

institutions and universities awarding post-graduate

qualifications, with the overall view of constantly improving

mosquito control measures and keeping MRCU at the

forefront of such scientific research.

Cayman National Cultural Foundation 2016-2017

Madam Speaker, CNCF plans a busy year ahead including:

! Mind’s Eye, the Visionary World of Gladwyn K. Bush

Site Development

An architect has been engaged to draft up concept

drawings for renovations to the Mind’s Eye Education

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Centre, to include a gift shop, tea room and additional

outdoor gathering areas for visitors to the property, in

anticipation of the cultural heritage centre being added to

the Department of Tourism’s roster of low impact tourism

sites in 2016/17.

! Partnership with the University of South Florida

School of Theatre & Dance

CNCF’s relationship with the University of South Florida

(USF), involving exchanges and artist residencies, began

some 20 years ago. The first formal memorandum of

agreement between the two entities was signed in 2010, to

encourage opportunities for international artistic

collaboration in the form of theatrical productions,

workshops, classes, cultural exchanges, internships and

artist residencies. The agreement has been beneficial to

each party and has been renewed this year to provide

opportunities for artists from both to work together on

extending current work and developing additional projects,

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including conferences and symposia. USF has articulated

their recognition of CNCF’s academic strengths, including

design, directing, arts management, Caribbean literature

and dramaturgy.

Cayman Islands National Museum 2016-2017

Madam Speaker, the National Museum aims to achieve the

following in the coming year:

• Purchasing a facility to serve as a permanent home for the

Museum Collection will be the focus of planning and

coordination with the Ministry, board and management on

the specific way forward, and required funding, to achieve

this vital goal.

• The Museum’s 9300-plus artefacts and new acquisitions will

continue to be preserved, conserved, managed and entered

into a digital Collections Management Programme with on-

going research, photographs, and condition reports.

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• Carry out Museum exhibits, education and programmes, and

maintain the Museum, Museum Shop and Old Gaol Cafe for

public.

National Gallery of the Cayman Islands 2016-2017

Madam Speaker, the ever-active National Gallery plans the

following work in the coming year:

• The National Gallery of the Cayman Islands All Access

Community Art Project will be launched in September 2016.

This is a one-year project and will include educational visits

to every Key Stage 2 schoolroom, a tri-island public art

project (with reproductions from the National Collection in

outdoor areas across all districts); a schools art competition;

and community festivals in each district.

• Publication in September 2016 of the first comprehensive

book exploring the history of Caymanian Art History and the

NGCI National Collection (with images and bios by 75

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artists). Books will be gifted to all schools/libraries/public

centres in Cayman; and help to regenerate revenue for

NGCI through retail sales. An accompanying school guide is

currently under development.

• Launch of new user friendly NGCI website that includes a

360 virtual tour of the National Collection, which will also be

linked to tourism partners to help promote Caymanian arts.

In addition the site has an expanded learning section to

provide on-line learning resources for teachers and schools;

the National Collection will also be accessible on-line.

• Continued regional growth strategy has resulted in NGCI

being selected to host the Museum Association of the

Caribbean annual conference in October 2016 and Tilting

Axis - a strategic regional group designed to create alliances

for the further development of infrastructure, production and

markets for the Caribbean's visual arts sector.

• Development of an Associate degree-level arts programme

in conjunction with UCCI.

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National Heroes Day 2017

Madam Speaker, the theme for National Heroes Day 2017 is

“tourism” and we look forward to working closely with the

Ministry of Tourism and the Protocol Office, to ensure the

entire process leading up to and including the National

Heroes Day 2017 ceremony is a success.

Conclusion

Madam Speaker, I am very fortunate to have a fantastic

team of professional and dedicated Heads of Department who are

committed to working together to help our Ministry achieve our

goals. This Ministry is equally fortunate to have such a

professional and dedicated staff.

In conclusion, Madam Speaker, I thank my colleagues in this

honourable House for their support, and note that I look forward to

continuing to work with them for the benefit of the Cayman

Islands. I also thank my hard-working Heads of Department and

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Ministry staff for their efforts and support in delivering the services

and programmes. I am sure you will agree, Madam Speaker, that

we have had a very productive year and we have a lot of great

work planned for the coming financial year as well. I am confident

that if we all work together, we can do great things for the people

of the Cayman Islands.

Thank you Madam Speaker for this opportunity and may

God continue to bless us all.

END

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