Even after 34 years, former politician and health minister Ezzard Miller remembers the groundbreaking ceremony of Cayman’s first public dental clinic like it was yesterday.
A 1990 photograph from Compass Media’s TimeBack project jogged Miller’s memory. He recalled how in the heat of the day, with a shovel in hand, he stood next to fellow government officials, healthcare practitioners and contractors to break ground on the clinic. The project helped shift the gears to transform Cayman’s healthcare industry and advance the island’s ongoing journey of nation building.
“Healthcare had been neglected for a long time,” Miller said.
The growing need for services led government to develop a plan to build physical facilities, “and out of that rose the need for a new dental clinic because the old one was really in no condition,” Miller told the Cayman Compass.
Building a modern dental clinic would be the first project aimed at improving healthcare infrastructure.
A passion for healthcare
Miller became the minister of health in 1988 and served on the Executive Council, now known as Cabinet. He, along with Benson Ebanks, Norman Bodden, and Linford Pierson, formed the four elected members.
Prior to politics, Miller was the first Caymanian pharmacist, graduating from college in 1973, and went on to become the first hospital administrator. Miller later opened up his own medical business.
When Miller went into politics, his passion for healthcare became a mission to transform the system.
Miller recalled there were only two private sector clinics and one dentist on island at the time.
“So the need was there, and I saw people hurting. Because it was ‘free’, everybody believed it should’ve been of a lesser quality. I saw people who were not on that free list being deprived of healthcare because they didn’t have health insurance,” he said.
Miller explained the goal was to involve a number of private sector agencies in the design.
“We would have three dentists with designated dental chairs, improve the lab facilities, and once we decided the needs, we moved into action,” he said.
A united front
While lawmakers progressed the plans, Miller gave credit to a strong, unyielding spirit and unified front from the Caymanian people.
“We took this project to every community in the island for public discussion. Physically, I went to every town hall, including Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. This [project] was based on what the community said.”
He added, “we designed the building to deliver the services that they needed. We even had enough space left to place an eye clinic, which we gave permission to Lions to have.”
Construction of the clinic started in 1990 and its official opening and dedication came on 11 June 1991.
Miller said there was a lot of “euphoria” around the groundbreaking.
“There was a lot of appreciation from the dental staff and hospital staff that, for long last, something was being done to improve the facilities. There was a lot of support from the staff. When we finished it and opened it, there was a much bigger turnout and people were very happy about it.”
For the first time, Miller said, “Caymanians and the people who were getting free care at the time had a first-class facility to go to in order to get all their dental work done, and they could get procedures done that they couldn’t get done in the old clinic.”
He added that the clinic was the island’s first building with a standing seam roof.
‘An exciting time’
Standing next to Miller in the photograph was Joy Basdeo, who was the permanent secretary at the time.
“We take good dental care for granted,” she told the Compass more than three decades after the groundbreaking.
“However, I remember as a child and a young adult when there was only one dentist on the island. Of course, there were a lot less people than there are today. I still remember Dr. Edlin Merren and dental nurse Hebe Massias who were pioneers in this area and fondly remembered.”
For Basdeo, breaking ground for the first public dental clinic was “an exciting time”.
“I can remember many such innovations in this period, such as signing a contract with the Cleveland Clinic to provide off-island tertiary care. Today, of course, much of our tertiary care can be provided by local hospitals, of particular note, Health City,” she said.
“The strengthening of our public health programmes, including the dental programme and the vaccination programme in schools under the guidance of the Pan-American Health Organisation, was of particular importance during this period.”
In the 1990s, under Miller’s leadership, the Cayman Islands moved into the modern era of healthcare.
He said efforts were made not only to transform healthcare facilities, but to transform the lives of the people.
In doing so, Miller, then in his 30s, became the “guniea pig” at the time for implementing new healthcare programmes.
“We started a health promotional programme, which won an award from the World Health Organisation. It was my commitment to the HSA staff at the time to join the gym and that I would be the guinea pig and follow their recommendations. The Nor’Wester paper would publish every month my statistics. They’d measure my biceps, my waist, my blood work in order to get other people involved. I had to keep it up. I couldn’t disappoint.
“Now I’m trying to build the body back up after spending all that time in the LA eating,” Miller said jokingly.
“I don’t think there has ever been a minister who has done more in four years than I did in the four years that I worked [as health minister].”
Staring at the 1990 image, Miller said he’s most proud that he was able to “provide the care that he knew the people deserved” and “proud of [one] of the last generations of Caymanians who started their own business and succeeded. The comfort I get in that is seeing my own prosper.”
Miller said he has “no regrets” and that the still image is a reminder that our collective history and strength are integral to our identity as a nation.
For more on the TimeBack project, visit its website.
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