Prime Minister and Federal Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew provided and update on the children that were sent overseas for treatment for congenital heart disease (CHDs).

CHDs according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “are present at birth and can affect the structure of a baby’s heart and the way it works. They can affect how blood flows through the heart and out to the rest of the body. CHDs can vary from mild (such as a small hole in the heart) to severe (such as missing or poorly formed parts of the heart)”.

Dr. Drew stated that the children “are currently in the Cayman Islands to receive heart saving surgery.”

The children were sponsored by the Federal Government through a financial assistance programme for medical needs of children, implemented in August 2022.

Dr. Drew in his update on the patients reaffirmed his reason for the financial assistance program by saying: “children must not die because their parents/guardians lack financial resources.”