CHRISTIANA, Manchester — Residents here and in the nearby town of Spalding will be able to access private health-care services when construction of Chrispal Medical Centre in Sedburgh is completed.

Chrispal is being constructed at an estimated cost of $100 million, with phase one expected to be completed by October to offer services including a pharmacy, specialist services, lab services, and a radiology suite.

The project — being spearheaded by Dr Karyna Davis-Irons, an anaesthesiologist based in Grand Cayman — will in phase two provide an ambulance service and mini operating theatre for procedures that don’t require overnight hospilisation.

Davis-Irons said the location in Sedburgh is ideally situated between Christiana and Spalding.

“Five years ago we saw this property up for sale. I took one look at it and I said to my husband — and then I put it in my family group — [that] this would make an excellent health centre for the area. Time passed, COVID-19 hit, and two and half years later, it was still on the market. We decided that we were going to go for it,” she told her audience at a ground-breaking ceremony for the facility last Friday.

“We procured it primarily to make it a health centre so it wasn’t about having the property and trying to figure out what to do with it — it was having the vision of needing a health centre in the area such as this and then finding the property to do that. We thought this was the perfect place to do that,” she added as she pointed to the need for more medical services in the Christiana area.

“The name Chrispal is derived from Christiana and Spalding. The property is right in the middle, on the main between Christiana and Spalding. It is our vision not just to serve the [two areas], but also neighbouring communities,” she shared.

“Christiana itself is the second most-populated community in Manchester so that, there and then, tells us something. We need health care that is more accessible to the people of the area and the surrounding communities. When we did the market research we found that there were about 50,000 people who could potentially benefit from a facility like this so we move again with hope and faith and try to serve those [people],” she added.

Her father, Alphansus Davis, former principal of Spalding High (now Alphansus Davis High), told the audience that from a tender age Davis-Irons wanted to be in the medical field.

“Our daughter has always had a passion for medicine for helping others. From a young age she was determined to pursue a career in medicine,” he said.

“As early as age three she would put up a notice on her bedroom door and close that door, [posting a sign] ‘Doctor at work, do not disturb’ and so none of us would dare disturb her when that door is closed. She has worked tirelessly to achieve her goals,” he added.

He said the medical facility is a testament of his daughter’s commitment, compassion, and dedication to serving people.

“The medical centre will not just be a building; it will be a beacon of hope for those in need. It will be a place where people can come to receive the care and support they deserve, regardless of their background or circumstance,” he said.

“It will be a testament to the power of community and the strength that comes from working together for a common cause. As we break ground today, let us remember the purpose behind this endeavour. Let us be reminded that we are here to serve people, to make a difference in their lives, and to ensure that everyone has access to the care they need,” added Davis.