EDITOR’S NOTE: In this issue of the newsletter, #InfrastruCaribe continues its social infrastructure series and focuses on healthcare facilities in the Caribbean. Four locations are considered: the Cayman Islands, Trinidad, Cuba and Jamaica. Five facilities are examined: two hospitals in the Cayman Islands, an offshore medical school in Trinidad, Molecular Biology Laboratories in Cuba, and a COVID-19 Field Hospital in Jamaica.
The headline, taken from the Cayman Compass, is titled “West Bay Announced As Site Of Aster MedCity Hospital”. This development involves an initial investment of US$350 million to construct a proposed 150-bed hospital on a 40-acre property. Eventually, the plan is for the hospital to expand to 500-bed capacity and have associated projects, such as an assisted living facility and an offshore medical school.
Coincidentally, the University of the West Indies (UWI) has gotten approval to offer a US$60m bond to also fund the establishment of an offshore medical school, which will be located in Trinidad. This is in keeping with UWI’s new strategy to deal with its financial woes. Otherwise, Cuba is constructing four molecular biology laboratories to expand “its capacity to process PCR tests for the early detection of SARS-CoV-2 positive cases”.
InfrastruCaribe Weekday ed. 2021-03-23
