Accessing health care off island, health insurance reform, reducing medical errors and incorporating the fee for service model within the Health Services Authority (HSA) will be some of the hot issues to be addressed at the first Cayman Islands Medical Conference taking place from 22 - 24 September.

According to the Medical Director of HSA, Dr Tamer Tadros, all stakeholders will be invited to participate to evaluate the current state of health care and then it will map out a plan on where this country should go.

"Everyone who is involved in health care will be invited," said Dr Tadros.

"The philosophy of the conference will be to have multiple forums where we will discuss all the issues impacting healthcare. By the end of the conference we want to end up with conclusions on several issues.

"And for the issues we cannot establish a conclusion then we will identify a working committee to investigate it further."

The stakeholders who will be invited to the medical conference include the Ministry of Health Services, HSA staff doctors, The Chrissie Tomlinson Memorial Hospital, private doctors, Cayman Islands Cancer Society, the Health Insurance Commission, insurance companies and various health care providers.

Dr Tadros acknowledged that some people will not necessarily disagree, but he believes the conference environment will encourage differences of opinions that can be discussed openly and with respect.

"I know there will probably be some controversial discussions and every stakeholder will have a different position," he added.

"But at the end of the day we are one nation. So we need to acknowledge that we have challenges and work toward common solutions."

Dr Tadros noted one issue that will be addressed is whether health insurance is adequate in obtaining health care overseas when necessary, and are there problem areas that need to be discussed?

Another topic will be health insurance premiums in the Cayman Islands in light of worldwide trends of increasing health insurance premiums.

The conference will also address what problems insurance companies may be facing with the different providers either locally or internationally.

Other issues addressed include: reducing medical errors and increasing collaboration between health care providers.

The conference will be kicked off with a Governor's reception on Friday evening, 22 September, followed by a day and a half of meetings with all the stakeholders at the conference. On Sunday afternoon, 24 September, the conference will then be opened to the public.

Dr Tadros said that since this session will likely have representatives from all sectors - it will be a rare opportunity for residents to ask questions and get comprehensive answers, whether it is from a private doctor, Ministry of Health, Superintendent of the Health Insurance Commission or an insurance company.

"We want to get feedback from people in the community. This will be their chance to ask questions, give criticisms or concerns and share their experiences," he added.

He noted that there will be more medical conferences in the future, which will help track the strategies set in this conference as well as make a respondse to the changing environment of healthcare.

Accessing health care off island, health insurance reform, reducing medical errors and incorporating the fee for service model within the Health Services Authority (HSA) will be some of the hot issues to be addressed at the first Cayman Islands Medical Conference taking place from 22 - 24 September.

According to the Medical Director of HSA, Dr Tamer Tadros, all stakeholders will be invited to participate to evaluate the current state of health care and then it will map out a plan on where this country should go.

"Everyone who is involved in health care will be invited," said Dr Tadros.

"The philosophy of the conference will be to have multiple forums where we will discuss all the issues impacting healthcare. By the end of the conference we want to end up with conclusions on several issues.

"And for the issues we cannot establish a conclusion then we will identify a working committee to investigate it further."

The stakeholders who will be invited to the medical conference include the Ministry of Health Services, HSA staff doctors, The Chrissie Tomlinson Memorial Hospital, private doctors, Cayman Islands Cancer Society, the Health Insurance Commission, insurance companies and various health care providers.

Dr Tadros acknowledged that some people will not necessarily disagree, but he believes the conference environment will encourage differences of opinions that can be discussed openly and with respect.

"I know there will probably be some controversial discussions and every stakeholder will have a different position," he added.

"But at the end of the day we are one nation. So we need to acknowledge that we have challenges and work toward common solutions."

Dr Tadros noted one issue that will be addressed is whether health insurance is adequate in obtaining health care overseas when necessary, and are there problem areas that need to be discussed?

Another topic will be health insurance premiums in the Cayman Islands in light of worldwide trends of increasing health insurance premiums.

The conference will also address what problems insurance companies may be facing with the different providers either locally or internationally.

Other issues addressed include: reducing medical errors and increasing collaboration between health care providers.

The conference will be kicked off with a Governor's reception on Friday evening, 22 September, followed by a day and a half of meetings with all the stakeholders at the conference. On Sunday afternoon, 24 September, the conference will then be opened to the public.

Dr Tadros said that since this session will likely have representatives from all sectors - it will be a rare opportunity for residents to ask questions and get comprehensive answers, whether it is from a private doctor, Ministry of Health, Superintendent of the Health Insurance Commission or an insurance company.

"We want to get feedback from people in the community. This will be their chance to ask questions, give criticisms or concerns and share their experiences," he added.

He noted that there will be more medical conferences in the future, which will help track the strategies set in this conference as well as make a respondse to the changing environment of healthcare.

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shurna@caymannetnews.com