Hi Everyone,

I'm a UK hospital Dr that has been offered a job in the Caymans public hospital. I know almost nothing about the Caymans apart from it being a british colony, a tax haven, in the caribbean, population of 43,000 and was hit by hurricane Ivan last year.

To help me decide whether to take up the job offer I would be very grateful for some honest advice and answers to any of the following questions.

1. i heard that many senior drs had quit the health service after the hurricane - is this true, and why did they leave?

2. i've heard the Caymans has a serious problem in recruiting and retaining hospital Dr's - considering the carribean lifestyle/weather/tax free salary this seems surprising - why is this??

3. what is the standard of healthcare like in the Caymans?


4. What is the cost of living like in the Caymans eg what is the
- average salary
- average monthly rental cost for an average furnished 3 bedroom house/flat near the hospital
- average cost of a restaurant meal in a family restaurant

5. Is there a very great shortage of long-term rental accomodation after the hurricane?

6. Is it possible to get calling cards which allow cheap international phone calls to the UK? - how much does it cost per minute to call the UK?

7. what sort of leisure activities are there available for residents who do not like sunbathing/water sports?

8. How common is island fever? - i imagine life would get very boring very quickly on a small island - is this wrong?

9. What are the forecasts/predictions regarding the likelihood of further serious hurricanes in the short/medium-term future?

10. What is life generally like for UK expats in the Caymans (good and bad stuff please)?

Thanks for any advice you can give me

Sam

We are looking to relocate there and have the same questions.

hi, i was just wondering how you got the job in the caymans.....am a junior doctor in psychiatry and would like to spend around 6 months to a year over there....do you know of any recruitment agencies i could contact? thanks, gemma