EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 TASTE OF CAYMAN: HOW SWEET (AND SAVORY) IT IS! SPORTS | PAGE 16 CAYMAN BOYS EARN SILVER MEDALS AT WEST POINT GYMNASTICS MEET Seas: Rough with wave heights of 4 to 6 feet. Small craft should exercise caution over open water. High of 78 Low of 70 ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – MONDAY JANUARY 30, 2017 Win Superbowl Party Kit or Mountain Bike! Purchase any Pepsi + Frito-Lay products, or Budweiser + Frito-Lay products, to enter! *Full contest details in store AUDITOR GENERAL’S REPORT: Health resources, information ‘inadequate’ Private sector taking on more healthcare costs BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Cayman Islands government has nei- ther the resources, nor the information avail- able to properly manage an increasingly com- plex “hybrid” healthcare system for its resident population, Auditor General Sue Winspear concluded in a report made public Friday. Ms. Winspear’s office also noted in a sec- ondary public interest evaluation released along with her healthcare system audit that private sector healthcare system users were in- creasingly shouldering more of the territory’s overall health costs within the past five years. Total health-related expenditures in the Cayman Islands increased by nearly 26 percent between 2010 and 2015, the report stated, for both private and public system users. The private sector’s share of the estimated $269 million in healthcare expenditures during 2015 was about $131.2 million, up from $95.7 million during the government’s 2010/11 finan- cial year – a 37 percent increase. Meanwhile, public sector health costs went up as well, from $118.4 million in 2010/11 to $137.8 mil- lion in 2015, an increase of about 16 percent. The report found that the average per person annual spend on healthcare in Cayman during 2015 was about $4,454, up from $3,857 in 2010/11. While costs increased significantly, Ms. Winspear’s report concluded that government could not show much for that increase. “The government does not have the re- sources or the information required to manage BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Two more people were arrested last week in connection with an ongoing bribery scandal at the Cayman Islands Immigra- tion Department. The suspects, who are not public officers in the Cayman Islands government, represent the sixth and seventh arrests in the investi- gation since mid-January. The two people arrested Tuesday and Friday of last week were taken into custody on suspicion of bribery, fraud on the govern- ment and breach of trust. All three allega- tions are offenses under the Cayman Islands Anti-Corruption Law. No charges were filed against the sus- pects, a 32-year-old George Town woman and a 44-year-old man from the Spotts area of George Town, as of Friday. The arrests follow an operation on Jan. 19 by investigators from the Anti-Corruption More arrested in immigration bribery probe POLICE ARREST HOMICIDE SUSPECT AFTER STANDOFF BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com A West Bay man who police said shot and killed another man, hid in a nearby home, fired shots at armed officers from inside that home and then took four family members – in- cluding two children and a bedridden elderly lady – hostage, surrendered to police late Sat- urday afternoon. Police said none of the four hostages in the incident were physically injured in the ordeal. The man who was shot outside the Super C restaurant on Watercourse Road was iden- tified by family members and friends as Mark “Hubba” Seymour. The shooting around 3:20 p.m. Saturday resulted from a domestic dis- pute, according to Royal Cayman Islands Police Commissioner Derek Byrne. Mr. Seymour was rushed to hospital fol- lowing the shooting and was pronounced dead a short while later. Meanwhile, RCIPS armed officers re- sponding to the crime scene were fired upon, Mr. Byrne said. None was injured and offi- cers formed a protective cordon around the area, calling in additional units for assis- tance, he said. The suspect, who is not being identified be- cause he had not been charged with a crime as of Sunday morning, then barricaded himself in the home, refusing to let the other four people inside leave. “A hostage situation occurred in the house, two adults and two children were held against their will,” Mr. Byrne said during a Saturday night press conference at West Bay Police PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 12 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 12 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » Thousands flooded onto Camana Bay’s Festival Green Saturday evening for the 29th annual Taste of Cayman, which featured a smorgasbord of fine food and drink, dancing and musical performances, including a ‘Madonna’ imitator (above) who brought the audience to its feet. For more, see page 8. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY More than 5,000 attend Taste of Cayman2 LOCAL&REGIONAL MONDAY JANUARY 30, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Daily Matinees Every Day $8.00 Seniors, Mon-Fri Before 6pm Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 640-FILM (640-3456) *Additional charges will apply per 3D ticket requested. SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any film starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. - MONDAY - RESIDENT EVIL 3D (R) 12:30 | 3:50 2D | 7:00 | 9:55 2D A DOG’S PURPOSE (PG) 12:40 | 4:00 | 6:55 | 9:50 MONSTER TRUCKS 3D (PG) 12:45 | 4:15 2D | 6:50 | 9:45 2D LIVE BY NIGHT (R) 12:50 | 3:40 | 6:40 | 9:40 UNDERWORLD: BLOOD WARS (R) 3:55 | 10:00 LA LA LAND (PG13) 12:35 | 7:05 No charges in police station drug theft Alleged ‘corrupt officers’ not caught BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Eighteen months after large quantities of cocaine and ganja were stolen from a police evidence container in George Town, no one has been charged in the theft, the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service confirmed Friday. The trespassing and theft oc- curred on July 13, 2015 on the George Town Police Station property where a container stored outside of the building was broken into. Police initially said nothing was taken in the break-in, but con- firmed in mid-September 2015 that a “quantity of drugs” was stolen. In October 2015, Deputy Gov- ernor Franz Manderson told the Legislative Assembly that 24 ki- lograms of cocaine and 33 kilo- grams of ganja had been taken in the incident. In late 2015, Former Police Com- missioner David Baines said there was an active investigation that in- volved multiple warrants being ex- ecuted as well as internal inqui- ries into the suspected involvement of corrupt officers. Mr. Baines de- scribed the theft as a “well-planned, well-coordinated attack on the po- lice property.” “Someone’s clearly given infor- mation internally about where those drugs are supposed to be or will be. That’s one side. Secondly, I’ve got a criminal investigation against sus- pects who have been identified,” Mr. Baines said, speaking on Rooster radio 101.9 FM about the incident. In an RCIPS statement released Friday, police indicated a “major in- vestigation” involving several de- tectives had been launched fol- lowing the theft. “In the course of this investiga- tion, detectives examined over 105 hours of CCTV footage, executed 14 search warrants, and uncovered multiple strains of drug dealing around the island,” the RCIPS state- ment, issued on behalf of Deputy Commissioner Kurt Walton, read. “Eight people were arrested and charged with over forty drug-re- lated offences. “However, despite these sig- nificant efforts, no one has been charged with the theft itself,” police confirmed. “This is still an active investigation, with lines of inquiry that continue to be followed. Detec- tives maintain an open mind about the incident and continue to look at all possibilities.” The eight people referred to in the RCIPS statement who were ar- rested and charged were never di- rectly linked in court testimony to the police station drugs theft. According to the police state- ment released in September 2015, the “actions of those responsible” for following evidence handling and storage procedures at the police sta- tion would also be reviewed. Friday’s RCIPS statement read: “Since the theft, the RCIPS has spent significant funds to intensify security at the George Town Police Station, in- cluding heightened fencing and im- proved CCTV coverage, and has also changed procedures around storage. It is our firm intention that such an incident does not occur again.” The statement did not ad- dress whether any police per- sonnel had been disciplined over the drugs theft. “Despite [police officers’] significant efforts, no one has been charged with the theft itself.” RCIPS STATEMENT After multiple thefts from the rear yard of the George Town Police Station, the RCIPS installed a high fence last March to deter would-be thieves. – PHOTO: MATT LAMERS Movie lovers will have the chance to take the cinema experience home thanks to a free theater seat giveaway by Regal Cinemas. To accommodate installation of VIP seating, the cinema will be removing 150 of its chairs and is offering them to the public. Simon Watson, operations manager for Active Capital Ltd., said the chairs are still in good condition, and he would prefer they be reused or recycled, rather than thrown away. The new luxury seats will be elec- tric-powered, allowing viewers to recline and raise a footrest with the press of a button. Those interested in picking up the removed seats may contact cinema general manager Corey Randolph at corey.randolph@camanabay.com before Feb. 3 at 5 p.m. Regal Cinemas gives away 150 theater chairs Prosecutor says Brazil corruption probe to grow CURITIBA, Brazil (AP) – The lead federal prosecutor in a massive corruption inves- tigation roiling Brazil says that recent developments could double the size of the case, a staggering possibility given that the probe has en- snared many of the country’s elite, threatens to bring down President Michel Temer and is expanding to other Latin American countries. Nearly three years after the first arrests in March 2014, the so-called Car Wash investiga- tion has no end in sight, said Deltan Dallagnol, coordinator of the task force in the state of Parana, where the operations began and are still largely centered under the jurisdic- tion of Judge Sergio Moro. “I would say that the new plea agreements could allow the Car Wash operation to double its size in the future,” Dallagnol told The Associated Press on Thursday, declining to go into detail because the cases were ongoing. What started as an investi- gation into money-laundering has morphed into a corruption scandal so large that it has shocked Brazilians long ac- customed to graft in politics. Investigators say more than $2 billion in bribes were paid out in a kickback scheme that was centered at state oil com- pany Petrobras and included major construction companies like Odebrecht. In the last few years, dozens of politicians and top businessmen have been convicted and jailed, and many more are facing charges. In a wide-ranging inter- view, Dallagnol said the inves- tigation “lives at risk” because of forces trying to snuff it out. He said the pressures were increasing as the number “of powerful people caught up in it grows by the day.” Dallagnol said the loss of Supreme Court Justice Teori Zavascki, who was overseeing a large part of the investiga- tion and died in a plane crash last week, was a huge blow but ultimately would not derail the many cases in progress. He said that while many believed the investigation was creating a “new Brazil,” its long-term impact de- pended on whether Latin America’s largest nation took measures to reform its po- litical and judicial systems. He likened it to an ill patient who goes to the doctor and gets a diagnosis but doesn’t act on the medical advice. “Unfortunately, we are still at the diagnostic stage,” said Dallagnol, who studied law in Brazil and then did a master’s degree at Harvard University. Dallagnol said the Car Wash investigation was suc- ceeding thanks to a four- pronged strategy: plea bar- gains that lead to new revelations, operational “phases” that build on each other, close cooperation be- tween justice and legal of- ficials, and a transparent communication strategy that includes divulging details of cases once arrests are made. Dallagnol also praised Moro, the judge, saying his vast knowledge of laws re- lated to corruption and ability to succinctly apply the law were key factors. To many Brazilians, fed up with corruption and their political leaders, Moro and Dallagnol are heroes, a designation that Dallagnol flatly rejects. “We are just doing our jobs,” he said. The investigation has be- come so large that it is ex- panding to other states and judges. The arrest war- rant issued Thursday in Rio for Eike Batista, previously one of the world’s richest men now wanted for alleg- edly making bribes, is a tes- tament to how far the Car Wash investigation and its offshoots have gone. What started as an investigation into money-laundering has morphed into a corruption scandal so large that it has shocked Brazilians long accustomed to graft in politics. Prosecutor Deltan DallagnolThe islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY JANUARY 30, 2017 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K Bliss Teacher Training Compass.pdf 2 1/10/17 5:19 PMThe islands’ most-trusted news source 4 – EDITORIAL – Opinion&Letters The Cayman Compass welcomes comments, opinions and viewpoints from readers. Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com, submitted via www.caymancompass.com, sent by post or hand-delivered to the Compass office. PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Caymanian Compass Limited (a subsidiary of Pinnacle Media Ltd) Compass Centre Shedden Road, George Town SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman KY1-1108, Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@pinnaclemedialtd.com ADVERTISE WITH US: Telephone: (345) 949-5111 Email: sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com Website: www.caymancompass.com PUBLISHERS DAVID R. LEGGE AND VICKI L. LEGGE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DAVID R. LEGGE EXECUTIVE EDITOR PATRICK BRENDEL A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will findtheirownway” Think of it as a family dinner – for an entire country. Thousands of “foodies,” amateur gastronomes and people who were just plain hungry showed up for dinner Saturday night on Camana Bay’s Festival Green for the annual Taste of Cayman celebration. Dozens of restaurants, bars and vendors (and perhaps hundreds of chefs and servers) were on hand to keep the crowds sated with appetizers, entrees, deserts and beverages specially crafted for the occasion. Now in its 29th year, Taste of Cayman has grown along with the Cayman Islands and has matured into one of the best-attended, best-organized and (dare we say it?) best-tasting events in the country. Although our population remains small, Cayman possesses an outstanding degree of diversity, with more than 100 nationalities living in harmony on our diminutive land mass. On Saturday night, Taste of Cayman had something for everyone, offering culinary pleasures to tempt every palate and delight every taste bud. The festival had more than just food and drink: It also featured demonstrations, competitions, live music performances, family activities and fireworks. Old or young, omnivorous or vegetarian, oenophile or teetotaler – Taste of Cayman catered to every person in attendance. In fact, if we were to identify the “main course” served up during Taste of Cayman, it would be this: the spirit of camaraderie. In addition to the businesses and staff manning the individual booths, we’d like to congratulate the orga- nizers and sponsors of Taste of Cayman for hosting a truly spectacular evening (the proceeds of which go to benefit the Cayman Islands Tourism Association). With more than two-dozen sponsors, we don’t have space to list them all in this editorial space. We will, however, identify “Platinum Platter” sponsors, Camana Bay and Hurley’s Media Ltd., “Golden Fork” sponsors, Digicel and Tower Marketing, and “Silver Spoon” sponsors, Cayman Airways, Island Heritage, Margaritaville, Massive, and Pinnacle Media’s own Flava magazine. During Taste of Cayman, Flava and the Compass again hosted one of our ever-popular “photo booth contests.” The photos from Saturday night will be posted soon on the Compass Facebook page. Once the photos are uploaded, contest participants should locate their photo, “tag” themselves and share the photo. Then, confirm your entry to the contest at www. caymancompass.com/contests/taste-of-cayman-2017. Participants who tag and share their photo, and confirm their contest entry, will be entered into a drawing for a “Feast & Getaway to Montego Bay” prize package, co-sponsored by Pinnacle Media, The Best Dressed Chicken (part of the Jamaica Broilers Group of Companies), Cayman Cabana Restaurant and the Royalton White Sands Resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica. With a value of $3,500, the prize package includes a farm-to-table dinner with wine for 10 people at Cayman Cabana, round-trip plane tickets for two people to Montego Bay and an all-inclusive weekend stay for two people at the Royalton White Sands Resort. For Taste of Cayman attendees seeking a “second helping” of an enjoyable culinary experience (and who don’t want to wait until the 30th annual Taste of Cayman, to be held next January), we hope you took time to participate in the Flava photo booth. Remember to complete your contest entry before the Feb. 7 (noon) deadline. Taste of Cayman: How sweet (and savory) it is! MONDAY JANUARY 30, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Trump’s greatest deal ever KOBI DORENBUSH President Donald Trump will resolve the Israeli-Pales- tinian conflict. This is not a joke and the fact that people will assume it is a joke is the reason why he will do it. I know the idea of Donald Trump settling this genera- tions old feud seems ludi- crous. How could he pos- sibly succeed where so many other better prepared, more knowledgeable, greater leaders have failed? But in June of 2015 when Donald Trump announced his candi- dacy for the Presidency of the United States, we all laughed. We assumed that this was a publicity stunt and that he would soon withdraw from the race when the more sub- stantive issues arose. But he never withdrew. We thought that there was absolutely no chance that this foul-mouthed, duplicitous purveyor of Trump Steaks, Trump Airlines and Trump University could possibly bamboozle enough Ameri- cans into voting for him this past November. Even after he won the election, many spoke out and even lobbied the Electoral College to re- buke the election results and choose someone (anyone!) else. They of course did not and we are now addressing him as “Mr. President.” Perhaps it’s time that we all admit that Trump, for all his many faults, is a societal magician. Just when you thought his hat was empty, he pulled out a rabbit and won the Repub- lican nomination. That was not good enough for you? Poof, he sawed the woman in the box in half and won the presidency. And now, for his next trick: peace in the Middle East. Even after baffling us with his magic to win the elec- tion, there are many Ameri- cans who believe that Trump will be a total failure as a president. Some even believe that he will be impeached early in his presidency. Once again, people are vehemently doubting “Trump the Magi- cian.” It would appear that his last magic trick wasn’t enough to convince his audi- ence and so, to finally silence his critics and amaze us all, Trump will have to tackle the Holy Grail of international diplomacy. He will have to bring peace to Jerusalem. Make no mistake about it, ac- complishing this task is liter- ally the job of the Messiah. In 1992 Prime Minister Rabin, Shimon Peres and Yasser Arafat were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for seemingly achieving this feat with the Oslo Accords. If President Donald Trump can resolve this conflict, he will claim the greatest, most elu- sive victory of all time. Just imagine the combined sat- isfaction and smugness on Donald Trump’s face when he receives a Nobel Peace Prize for brokering peace be- tween Israel and the Palestin- ians. What grander bragging rights could Trump possibly claim? Surely by completing this trifecta of greatness – president, peacemaker, Nobel Prize winner – his critics will see him for his magic and not for his comedy. The possibility of such greatness will be too tempting for President Donald Trump’s ego to re- sist and he will take his seat at the bargaining table of the Israeli-Palestinian con- flict. While he lacks even the most basic diplomatic skills for such a task, I have to think that he is actually ideally suited to succeed. This is because the Israeli- Palestinian conflict repre- sents to President Trump the greatest real estate deal in history. (Imagine Trump’s eyes lighting up at the thought of this!) I am fully aware of the complexities of the issues: Jerusalem, refugees, settle- ments, water rights, secu- rity, culture clash … The list is long and complicated. But all of these issues are either aggravating or mitigating circumstances that have to be considered when deciding exactly how and where to divide the land. Trump will look at this task like building two adjacent buildings for two tenants who have a long history of hating each other. Issues with water rights? Call the water company and produce more water (“Israeli desalination technology”). If security is an issue, then in- crease your tenant’s personal security capacity (“U.S. mili- tary aid to Israel”) and bring in an outside security com- pany to make sure that there is no trespassing between the two properties (“U.S. to establish military base in Israel”). What about Palestinian refugees? A compensation fund has long been dis- cussed as part of a settle- ment, which Trump will see as a “tenant inducement.” Building the infrastructure of a fledgling Palestinian state? Trump will call that “tenant improvements.” And who would put up the money for such induce- ments and improvements for a new Palestinian state? Why, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE of course. Is- rael has been rumored to be warming its relations with those very wealthy, oil- rich nations as they find a common foe in Iran. Maybe President Donald Trump can convince those countries that they’re better off seeding a new country, rather than let- ting Iran continue its influ- ence in the refugee camps. Kind of like selling billboard space on the side of these new buildings in a high- traffic location. All of those issues are negotiating points that Trump, the “self-made” real estate mogul and best- selling author of “The Art of the Deal,” will have to ad- dress when negotiating this – the grandest of all real estate deals. Maybe President Donald Trump is actually what we need in order to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Maybe we need a fresh per- spective. Maybe we need someone brash, unorthodox and unpredictable. What- ever the case may be, people should not doubt Trump’s ability to get this done. For over a year, so many people laughed throughout his magic show. So many people doubted him so often, and in each case he proved them all wrong. And the appeal of achieving the near-messi- anic feat of bringing peace to Jerusalem offers Trump the kind of bragging rights that he will not be able to pass up. So get your ticket, because the next act of the Donald Trump magic show is about to begin. Kobi Dorenbush is senior executive vice president & general counsel at Sterling Global Financial.5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY JANUARY 30, 2017 +1.954.659.5080 l flgps@ccf.org clevelandclinic.org/flgps Make your connection to world class care. Our Global Patient Coordinators connect people from over 100 countries to a world renowned name in healthcare. As Zika fears fade, new threats loom JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com As fears over the spread of the Zika virus fade, public health officials are warning of a likely outbreak of a new strain of dengue fever in the Caribbean. There have been no new cases of Zika in the Cayman Islands since early December, but doctors and scientists at the Mosquito Research and Control Unit warn of new threats on the horizon. A new mosquito-borne ill- ness, the Mayaro virus, re- cently identified in Haiti, has been highlighted as a poten- tial threat to the region. Also, the Caribbean Public Health Agency has warned of a coming “epidemic” of a new strain of dengue fever, which had previously been largely found in Asia. Doctors in the Cayman Is- lands are now investigating just one suspected case of Zika per week, compared with 20 at the height of the outbreak in September. There have been a total of 31 confirmed Zika cases in the territory to date. Of the two pregnant women confirmed to have contracted the virus, one has left the island and the status of her or her baby is unknown. In the other case, the baby was born with no complications. Timothy McLaughlin- Munroe, public health sur- veillance officer in Cayman, said officials were con- tinuing to monitor the situ- ation as well as other po- tential public health threats, including a predicted dengue type 3 epidemic. He said there had already been an imported case of the virus in the Cayman Islands. “We are very confident that dengue will be back. The new finding of dengue type three is a serious con- cern,” he added. Dengue, a mosquito-borne disease which can be fatal in severe cases, has always been a problem in the Carib- bean. He said the new strain, imported to the region from Asia, posed a greater threat because people in the Carib- bean had not previously been exposed to it. The head of the Caribbean Public Health Agency, Dr. James Hospedales, warned in September that “We can predict with some degree of certainty that next year, [or] more probably 2018, the region will have a dengue type 3 epidemic. Dengue has been increasing in frequency and severity for the last 30 or so years. “The problem is not chi- kungunya, Zika or dengue. The problem is our com- fort with the mosquito Aedes aegypti and the mul- tiplication in sites in which it can breed. “The fact that you have a vector that can so effec- tively transmit diseases right across the population is a health security threat, a tourism threat, an economic threat,” he said. In Grand Cayman, the MRCU argues that tar- geting the disease-spreading Aedes aegypti is the best way to address the public health threat posed by a va- riety of diseases. Bill Petrie, director of the unit, said the fact that Zika appeared to be receding in the territory did not decrease the urgency or importance of the project to deploy geneti- cally modified mosquitoes in an effort to eradicate the Aedes aegypti. “We embarked on this project long before Zika or chikungunya came up. The Aedes aegypti is respon- sible for transmitting a number of viral diseases. There may well be another one on the horizon, with the Mayaro virus that’s come up in Haiti.” He said new viruses, and new strains of viruses like dengue, were likely to be- come more common. “It was predicted 25 years ago that globaliza- tion and the movement of human beings around the globe from continent to con- tinent would mean diseases being transferred to new countries. We are seeing that happening now.” With no known cures for such viruses, he said the only method to combat the threat was to “target the vector.” Officials from across the Caribbean, facing similar problems in their own coun- tries, have visited the MRCU to investigate the project. In India and Brazil, where mosquito-borne diseases are a public health menace, he believes the technique could have a profound impact. The release of some 8 million genetically modi- fied mosquitoes, provided by British company Oxitec, in West Bay has had a sig- nificant impact in reducing populations of the disease- spreading insects in the tar- geted area, researchers say. Encouraging early results Preliminary data from the MRCU released last week showed that the ge- netically modified males are successfully mating with fe- males in the wild. In the most recent data, collected over the past two months, an embedded genetic marker showed up in 94 per- cent of larvae collected in the targeted zone. Though the final results of the Cayman GM mos- quito project will not be pub- lished until it is completed, Mr. Petrie believes the inter- national community will be watching with interest. “A vector that can so effectively transmit diseases right across the population is a health security threat, a tourism threat, an economic threat.” DR. JAMES HOSPEDALES, head of the Caribbean Public Health Agency Giselle Johnson, production and field assistant with Oxitec, releases GM mosquitoes in West Bay through a funnel in a specially outfitted van. A fan helps blow the mosquitoes through the funnel.DISTRICT DAYS 6 District Days George Town MONDAY JANUARY 30, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS 50 YEARS AGO Portrait of the Quiet Man In the Feb. 1, 1967 edition of the Caymanian Weekly, a pre- cursor of the Cayman Compass, contributor Birney Jarvis offered up the following profile of one of Cayman’s popular seasonal entertainers: “The goateed man sat on a high stool in a corner of the Beach Club Colony last Sunday, strummed his mellow guitar and sang a tune for the people gath- ered about him. “It was an old tune, but one which always brings back pleasant memories, and the guitar player sang it in a quiet way on a quiet evening during the cocktail hour. “Silhouetted by the lights against a white screen back- ground, the ‘Quiet Man’ – some know him as Ronnie Hollyman – strummed through his repertoire of some 200 favourites. “‘It’s only a shanty in old shanty town … ’ and onto an- other favourite, ‘If you were the only girl in the world and I were the only boy … ’ “Can you play any- thing Spanish?” someone asked and the Quiet Man changed his tempo to work in a flamenco number that couldn’t have sounded more authentic if played in a Spanish cantina. “Few watched the man himself for the play of his silhouette against the backdrop was fascinating. His fingers, in stark relief, flew up and down the neck of the guitar in complicated chord changes and, seemingly, mesmerized those watching the shadow-play of an accomplished professional. “The Quiet Man is, indeed, a professional entertainer, and began his musical career 31 years ago last November. At 43 he owns his own nightclub in Lexington, Kentucky – he calls it ‘Someplace Else’ – and apart from the two months he reserves for a working holiday in Grand Cayman and another month on Nantucket Is- land, he operates the club and entertains there year-round. “At an early age – twelve – the Quiet Man made his debut at London’s Trocadero and since then he has entertained troops overseas, served a two-year stint in the British 8th Army and even- tually played with several jazz groups in England. “‘In 1950,’ the Quiet Man said, ‘I came to Canada and went from there to the Caribbean and thence to Grand Cayman. To do a single vocal act was my ultimate goal.’ “Mr. Ronnie Hollyman became the Quiet Man in Florida in 1956 and that’s the name you’ll hear when he plays at the Beach Club during cocktail hour on Sundays, at the Caribbean Club on Monday nights and at his home base, Pe- dro’s Castle, where he plays nightly from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. – except Mondays of course.” In the same issue, other George Town news included: “Mr. Tom Laister, Director of British Information Services in Kingston was in the island for a few days during the past week. This was Mr. Laister’s first visit and was thus in the nature of a familiarisation tour. “In addition to the dissemina- tion of information on behalf of the British High Commissioner in Kingston, Mr. Laister has certain other interests on behalf of London in one or two other areas in the Caribbean, e.g. Haiti, Belize and the Cayman Islands. He hopes that it may be possible to visit these territories once or twice per year. “In the form of daily press releases, the British Informa- tion Service circulates informa- tion as to what is going on in Britain with regard to Govern- ment policy, the latest scien- tific improvements and inven- tions, progress in industry and commerce etc. “Mr. Laister much enjoyed his tour of the island with his Honour the Administrator on the 25th and we were pleased to wel- come him to our office and ex- plain our processes to him on Thursday. We hope that as a re- sult of our meeting we shall be supplied with interesting in- formation about Great Britain which we can pass on to our readers from time to time.” UWI Open Campus announces Guild executive A week long celebration of this year’s UWI Open Campus Guild Fest included the induction of new Guild members at a special ceremony. With the theme of “Bridging the Gap Across the Sea,” the Guild Fest marked the completion of Cayman’s University of the West Indies online students’ orientation and registra- tion for the second semester of its 2016/2017 academic year. The UWI Open Campus has ap- proximately 250 active online stu- dents in Cayman, out of a total UWI student body of 40,000. In addition to its Open Campus, catering to distance education, UWI, founded in 1948, has campuses in Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, according to a press release. UWI has faculty and students from more than 40 countries, and collaborative links with 160 uni- versities globally; it offers under- graduate and postgraduate degree options in food and agriculture, en- gineering, humanities and educa- tion, law, medical sciences, science and technology and social sciences. Six students from the Cayman Islands will serve as the local 2016/2017 Guild executive body, which works to foster unity among students, meet the academic and social needs of the students, and serves as a bridge between the fac- ulty and staff and the student body. Kurt McKenzie is Guild chair, Le- tisha Allen Scott is vice chair, Crystal Ayton is secretary and Tamara Patten is treasurer. In addition, Deborah Powery Zureigat will serve as aca- demic student representative and Racquel Barnes is communications and public relations officer. Of the six, Mr. McKenzie, Ms. Allen Scott, Ms. Ayton and Ms. Patten were in at- tendance at special ceremony where they were officially inducted. Student Marjorie Burrell was also awarded the 2016/2017 Guild Grant which sought to alleviate the semester’s tuition cost. “The UWI Open Campus, Cayman is offering its thanks and congratulations [to the] 2016/2017 Guild executive, and Ms. Burrell and looks forward to supporting even more Cayma- nians and residents in the further- ance of their educational pursuits during the new academic year,” the release states. The UWI Open Campus also in- vites applications for its 30-hour certificate programs. On offer for February 2017 are supervisory man- agement, entrepreneurship and small business management, busi- ness writing and communication, human resource management, com- puter literacy, Microsoft applica- tions, community policing, conversa- tional Spanish, guidance counseling and occupational health and safety. Interested applicants for UWI online degree programs can sign up at www.apply.open. uwi.edu to commence classes in September. For further information contact UWI at 946-8322 or cayman@open.uwi.edu. Six students from the Cayman Islands will serve as the local 2016/2017 Guild executive body which works to foster unity among students, meet the academic and social needs of the students, and serves as a bridge between the faculty and staff and the student body. Members of the Cayman Islands 2016/2017 Guild Executive Body, from left, Kurt McKenzie, Letisha Allen Scott, Crystal Ayton and Tamara Patten. From left, Letisha Allen Scott, Marjorie Burrell, UWI Administrator Jody-Ann Moore, UWI Marketing Representative Paulette Chotan and Kurt McKenzie at the presentation of Ms. Burrell’s Guild Grant award.District Days George Town DISTRICT DAYS 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY JANUARY 30, 2017 Students and parents ran, jumped and crawled their way through Triple C School’s annual Sports Day on Friday. About 65 Jr. Kindergarteners and Kinder- garteners took part. Events included a 100 meter race, egg and spoon race, sack race, bean bag race and an obstacle race. Early childhood development supervisor Antoinette Cowan organized the events, along with physical education teachers Justin White, Junior Welcome and Sydonie Pearson. “Early childhood development is holistic, so we have to also cater to physical education. Everything starts at an early age,” said Ms. Cowan. “With support, some of these young ones will become the Usain Bolts of tomorrow.” Fostering sportsmanship was also a big part of the day. “We work very cohesively in early childhood development with teachers, physical education teachers, parents and children. It’s very im- portant that we work together as a team, so the children can see and emulate the habits of working together with their parents and their friends.” “At the end of the day, we want every child to be rewarded. They have different strengths and weaknesses, and we want to pull out their strengths.” “They have different strengths and weaknesses, and we want to pull out their strengths.” ANTOINETTE COWAN, early childhood development supervisor Sports day is a blast Noah Ebanks and Harrison McLaughlin Brendon Aiken, Mason Miller and Clayton Thompson were among about 65 Jr. Kindergarteners and Kindergarteners who took part in Triple C School’s annual Sports Day on Friday. - PHOTOS: MATT LAMERS Mason Malice and Xane GrahamMason Miller Girl Power makes for winning recipe The cooking action was down to the wire at the penultimate installment of the National Youth Cook Off district qualifiers, held in George Town last Monday. The event, organized by the Youth Ser- vices Unit, was held in the parking lot of the George Town Public Library on Monday, Jan. 23 after the Heroes Day cere- mony, and attracted a good crowd, a press release states. The winners, Triple C students Ayanna Davis-Eden, 13, and Tya Bovell, 15, of Team Girl Power prepared savory white bean chicken chili for the first round. For the second round, the pair prepared lion- fish tacos with fresh salsa and guacamole, paired with island punch. They faced some hot competition from Team Nashaunte made up of Nashaunte Stewart, 17 and Nathina Bush, 17, who prepared a hearty beef chili followed by steamed lionfish with mixed vegetables and white rice, accompanied by swanky. Team Girl Power won the public judging for the chili round, 14 votes to nine, the release states. Ayanna, a Home Gas Test Kitchen TV host and a ‘Proud Of Them’ awardee, and Tya, the National Youth Cu- linary Programme deputy prefect, went on to win the Best Lionfish Dish and Drink category as well. “Our youth contestants don’t let their age stand in the way of cre- ating great meals,” said Youth Services coordinator James Myles. “George Town [presented] Lionfish Tacos which would have made anyone’s mouth water.” Team Girl Power won $100 and personalized chef jackets to wear at the finals. The last district competition of the 2016/17 National Cook Off contest is being held at the Cayman Islands Turtle Centre in West Bay, Saturday, Feb. 18 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The Grand Final will take place at the 50th Annual Agriculture show, at the Ag- ricultural Pavilion on Wednesday, March 1, where all the winning teams from each district will face off in an exciting finale. The winning dishes by Tya Bovell and Ayanna Davis-Eden.8 LOCAL NEWS MONDAY JANUARY 30, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Thousands flood Festival Green for Taste of Cayman They came to taste, dance and compete. Thousands flooded onto Camana Bay’s Festival Green for this year’s Taste of Cayman Food & Drink Festival. More than 45 restaurants, bars and vendors provided fare for guests, while headlining acts on the night in- cluded tributes to Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Madonna and Lady Gaga. The Heavy Cake Competition winner was Tara Creary, and Sabrina Kudic from Tranch Bar, Chicago, was crowned Seven Fathoms Mixologist of the Year. More than 5,000 people attended the 29th annual event, an increase from last year. Ivan Panev of The Bistro - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY Karla Whittaker, Rohan Alvaranga and Kelly Irmen outside the Flava boothMarkus Mueri and son Maxmillian - PHOTOS: MAGGIE JACKSON Bon Vivant Cookoff Competition judges Gina Connolly, Avadaugn Sinclair and Vicki LeggeA woman cooks traditional food. The Cayman Islands Blood Bank operated an information booth at the festival.Chef Thomas Tennant proposed to Chelsea Smith and, well, the sign says it all ...The islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY JANUARY 30, 2017 NEW YEAR SPECIAL 2-WEEK TRIAL PROGRAM INCLUDING UNIFORM FOR $49 CAYMAN KARATE ACADEMY 926 5425 BOBDAIGLE@ME.COM WWW.CAYMANKARATEACADEMY.COM FOCUS DISCIPLINE CONFIDENCE Visiting Gynecologist will be available for consultation at Dr. Vivek's offi ce at Smith Road Plaza from 6-16 February, 2017 For appointments please call (345)945-6077 +1 (345) 323-7840 www.drbarryrichter.com Life Extension Gym and Sauna 949-3753 “When you want to reach your goals ” the health system effec- tively, and neither the Leg- islative Assembly nor the public can be confident that high quality healthcare is being delivered, or value for money being achieved,” the report concluded. Part of the difficulty in obtaining crucial data on healthcare services is that Cayman currently uses a “hy- brid” care model where public health, school health services, ambulances, district clinics and indigent care (now pro- vided for about 1,200 people) are delivered by the govern- ment-owned Health Services Authority. However, nearly all direct healthcare services – whether they are accessed through public or private providers – are paid either through health insurance ar- rangements or out-of-pocket if the person is not insured. Government regulates both private and public healthcare services via a labyrinthine cluster of 30- odd laws, but little informa- tion is available on health- care or regulatory outcomes, auditors found. “The performance of the Cayman Islands health system is not known and ac- countability to the Legisla- tive Assembly and the public cannot be rendered,” Ms. Winspear reported. For example, in the public sector, the Health Services Authority’s Cerner computer system and the Cayman Is- lands National Insurance Company’s claims system capture most information re- garding health expenditures, patient outcomes and vital statistics. Some of that data is available to the govern- ment Ministry of Health, but it is not currently being used for performance manage- ment, auditors found. “And, except in the case of public health surveillance, relatively little performance- based information is sought from, or provided by, the pri- vate sector,” the audit noted. Health problems ‘concealed’ In addition to significant gaps in information about the state of Cayman’s general health, the very nature of the island territory’s population may be serving to “conceal” serious health problems, au- ditors opined. At a glance, Cayman’s 60,000-plus population is rel- atively healthy, with life ex- pectancies over age 80, a low infant mortality rate and low rates of mortality from chronic diseases when com- pared to the rest of the world. Auditors note, however, that in 2015, the Cayman Is- lands government estimated 43 percent of the islands’ total population was non- Caymanian – largely expa- triates who had moved here from other countries to work. “Most of the expatriates tend to live in the Cayman Is- lands only during the health- iest years of their life,” au- ditors wrote, adding that non-Caymanians could not come to work here if medical tests showed they were in poor health or had a commu- nicable disease. Data provided by the 2010 Census in Cayman showed “a significantly higher rate of disease in the Caymanian population than in the non- Caymanian population.” Di- abetes rates among Cayma- nians were 3.1 times higher than for non-Caymanians, the occurrence of heart con- ditions 5.7 times higher and cancer rates 2.7 times higher. “[Current] health statis- tics … risk distorting the ap- parent performance of the health system,” the audit report found. Patient risks In another area of con- cern, some patients were being placed at risk due to certain situations where health services practitioners are falling through the cracks in government’s regulatory net, auditors found. For instance, the govern- ment’s mental health treat- ment and substance abuse centers (The Counselling Centre and Caribbean Haven) have qualified practitioners who are providing counsel- ling and therapy for patients, but who are not registered with the various local med- ical professional regulatory boards and councils. In some cases, registra- tion fees paid to those pro- fessional regulatory bodies may be waived for govern- ment employees. If the fees aren’t paid, the professional councils do not register the healthcare providers. In other cases, the health practitio- ners may not have achieved the minimum number of hours required to obtain full registration required in the U.S. if they were trained there. Once they have re- ceived the requisite hours, those individuals can then be registered with the appro- priate local council. “The risk that this poses is two-fold; first, the facilities are not being inspected and certified for an appropriate healthcare environment; and second, the practitioners who work in them are not subject to the same requirements as other registered healthcare practitioners,” the audit found. In addition, several Cayman Islands residential care homes for seniors, and adults and children with dis- abilities are not being in- spected as required, leading to further potential patient risk, auditors found. Short staff Both public and private sector healthcare profes- sionals told auditors of se- rious concerns regarding gov- ernment’s “capacity shortages” in a number of health reg- ulatory areas. The Health Insurance Com- mission, for instance, has the same number of inspectors now (three) as it had when it began operations in 2004, during a period when the local healthcare industry has grown significantly. Auditors noted the commission has attempted to find some creative ways around the lack of staff, in- cluding the recently proposed creation of a “certificate of compliance” for all employers. That certificate would require all companies to submit proof of health insurance with work permit applications. “Nevertheless, the reality is that enforcement of com- pliance with the Health In- surance Law and regulations has suffered and the risk of some employees and their de- pendents being uninsured has increased,” Ms. Winspear’s report stated. The government reports that 94 percent of all Cayman residents maintain health insurance, up from about 87 percent in 2010. How- ever, the commission noted it largely depends on proac- tive complaints about health- care coverage not being pro- vided before investigating a specific matter. In the past two years, the Health Insurance Commis- sion has imposed administra- tive fines in nine cases ($1,000 each) for employers who failed to continue health insurance coverage and one $5,000 fine for an insurance company that did not report certain information as required to the commission. Another nine cases of healthcare coverage non-compliance went before the local courts during that time, auditors found. “What appears to be a rel- atively small number of fines imposed by either the Health Insurance Commission or the courts must be interpreted in light of the fact that [the com- mission] does not have the re- sources to go into the field and carry out inspections of employers,” the audit noted. “Several officials and prac- titioners we interviewed be- lieved that neither the ad- ministrative fines imposed by the commission, nor the fines imposed by the courts are sufficiently punitive to en- courage compliance.” Again, auditors noted monthly reports given to the government Health Ministry do not have enough informa- tion to allow the ministry to track the extent of non-com- pliance with local healthcare laws and regulations. Pharmacies While the legal framework for governing the healthcare system is mostly adequate, even if it is not always en- forced well in practice, there were some concerns expressed by auditors regarding the suit- ability of local health laws as well. The 1979 Pharmacy Law, still the active legislation for governing the operation of Cay- man’s public and private sector drug distributors, was the best example of this issue. There are currently no leg- islated regulations in Cayman for pharmacies. A 2010 stan- dard of practice was developed by the local Pharmacy Council, but those standards are en- tirely voluntary. Drug distribution is also somewhat of a hodgepodge, according to auditors. “There are no shared pharmacy in- formation systems to ensure that patients are not receiving multiple prescriptions from different physicians and ob- taining the drugs from mul- tiple pharmacies,” the auditor’s public interest report noted. In one case noted during the audit, a prescribed drug was issued by a pharmacy with no information written in English on the label. Revised pharmacy legisla- tion was approved by the Leg- islative Assembly in 1991, but was never brought into force. Since then, another Pharmacy Law has been drafted, but no vote on it has occurred. What we spend on healthcare BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Cayman Islands govern- ment funded about 51 percent of all health-related expenditures in the territory during its 2014/2015 budget, according to auditor gener- al’s office data, while the other 49 percent was funded through private sector insurance coverage or out-of- pocket expenses. Auditors provided a break- down for the $137.8 million in public sector health-related expen- ditures during the government’s 2014/15 budget year: ■■ $60.5 million: Government healthcare premium payments for public servants, pensioners, seafarers and veterans ■■ $40.5 million: Health Services Authority expenditures for public health, district clinics, indigent healthcare programs and HSA employees’ healthcare coverage. (Note: indigent/unin- sured healthcare costs are split between the HSA and the Health Ministry and come to about $32.2 million) ■■ $20.4 million: Health Ministry expenditures for overseas indi- gent medical care, the Health Insurance Commission, health regulatory services and legisla- tive services ■■ $7.8 million: Statutory authorities and government companies’ ex- penditures for employee health in- surance premiums, not including the Health Services Authority ■■ $7 million: Ministry of Com- munity Affairs expenditures for mental health services, chil- dren and youth services, se- niors and disabled residential care and drug rehabilitation ■■ $1.6 million: Non-govern- mental organization health programs that receive some funding from government. In addition to the public sector costs, the audit report es- timated that private sector-in- sured healthcare system users paid $131.2 million during the 2014/15 budget year. Nearly $36 million of those costs went for what auditors consid- ered to be “out of pocket” expenses, meaning direct payments for unin- sured healthcare services, copay- ments, coinsurance and deduct- ibles. The figure does not include what residents spend for monthly health insurance premiums, which are 50 percent covered by the em- ployer for the employee, but not for the employee’s dependents. “Neither the Legislative Assembly nor the public can be confident that high quality healthcare is being delivered, or value for money being achieved.” SUE WINSPEAR, auditor general Auditor General’s report: Health resources, information ‘inadequate’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Auditor General Sue WinspearNext >