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Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. Hon. Christopher Tufton (second left), is joined by (l-r) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Health Fund (NHF), Everton Anderson; CEO and Founder of Judah 1, Everett Aaron; and Chief Operating Officer at Kennedy International Logistics and Services, Christie Hutcherson, in displaying images of the medical dome, which will be erected on the grounds of the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) in Montego Bay, St. James, The occasion was a media briefing held at the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA) Technical Office at the Freeport Business Centre in St. James on Saturday (Feb. 7).

Cornwall Hospital Grounds Being Prepared for Installation of Medical Dome

Work is underway to prepare the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) grounds for the installation of a state-of-the-art medical dome, which will accommodate up to 100 beds. The 10,000 square-foot facility, engineered to withstand a category 4 hurricane, is being donated...

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green (centre), and Resident Representative, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Multi-Country Office in Jamaica, Dr. Kishan Khoday (second right), unveil the sign for the solar-powered community energy centre in Galleon, St. Elizebeth, at the official handover of the facility on Friday (Feb. 6). Sharing the moment (from left) are Chief Executive Officer, National Fisheries Authority (NFA), Dr. Gavin Bellamy; Warden of the St. Elizabeth Fish Sanctuary, Claudene Ebanks; and State Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Franklin Witter.

Fishers in Parottee, Galleon Benefit from Solar-Powered Energy Centres

State Minister in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Hon. Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert (right), operates the hydraulic lift on a mobile legal aid bus, to assist Leco Bradford, who utilises a wheelchair, to enter the unit. The event was the Legal Aid Council's (LAC) St. Catherine justice fair for persons with disabilities, held at the bus park in Spanish Town on Friday (Feb. 6).

Justice Ministry to Expand Legal Aid Services in Hurricane-Impacted Parishes

Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister with Responsibility for Science, Technology and Special Projects, Dr. the Hon. Andrew Wheatley (standing) engages with stakeholders from academia, the private sector and Government during a Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation, at the AC Marriott Hotel in Kingston on Friday (Feb.6).

‘House of Innovation’ to Drive STI for National Development

Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Fayval Williams.

Finance Minister Welcomes Fitch’s Affirmation Of ‘Bb-’Credit Rating, Stable Outlook

Assistant General Manager for Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, National Housing Trust (NHT), Dwayne Berbick, addresses a JIS Think Tank on February 5.

3 months ago Housing

NHT Appeals for Patience as It Conducts Validation Checks

The National Housing Trust (NHT) is appealing for patience and understanding as the agency conducts validation checks to strengthen safeguards. Addressing a JIS Think Tank on February 5, Assistant General Manager for Corporate Communications and Public Affairs at the NHT, Dwayne Berbick, said that objective is to ensure accuracy and protect the Trust against errors and fraudulent claims. As a...

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith.

3 months ago Foreign Affairs

Gov’t Committed To Strengthening Jamaica’s Financial System – Senator Johnson Smith

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, says the Government is committed to strengthening the country’s financial system and framework against illicit activities and financial crimes. She made the declaration in the Senate on Friday (Feb. 6), as members approved the Financial Investigations Division (Amendment) Act, which will empower the Financial Investigations Division (FID) to...

The Percy Junor Hospital in Manchester has been accredited as a baby-friendly institution, becoming the 12th local public hospital to be certified under the global initiative.
A programme of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) recognises health facilities that provide optimal care for mothers and newborns and actively support breastfeeding.
The initiative promotes practices that have proven to improve infant survival and long-term health outcomes. These include early initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, and continued breastfeeding with appropriate complementary foods for up to two years or beyond.
Speaking at the accreditation ceremony held at the hospital in Spalding on Thursday (Feb. 5), Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, congratulated the management and staff of Percy Junor Hospital on the achievement, noting that it reflects a commitment to quality standards in infant and maternal care.
He noted that the accreditation aligns with the Ministry’s broader strategy to reduce infant mortality, improve maternal health outcomes, and strengthen quality standards across the public health system.
Dr. Tufton said that Percy Junor’s accreditation takes the country just over the half mark in terms of the number of hospitals in the country that are baby-friendly certified.
He noted that when he took office in 2016, only one of the island’s 23 hospitals had baby-friendly designation.
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Percy Junor Hospital...2
“Today, there are 12 hospitals that have baby-friendly designation. That’s a big deal! It means that we are improving standards...it means that the team in the respective institutions are doing the work, have been provided with the support, whether through our external agencies, our region, or the Ministry,” Dr. Tufton said.
“Today, I challenge the remaining 11 institutions, over the next three to five years – and I hope it’s more three than five – to make us complete ... by doing the necessary work to achieve baby-friendly status,” he urged.
“If 12 hospitals can achieve baby-friendly status, 23 can achieve baby-friendly status. If the people in 12 can do the work to get it done, the remaining 11 can do the work to get it done,” he expressed.
Noting that Percy Junor Hospital has seen a 64 per cent decline in births from 201 in 2024 to 71 in 2025, Dr. Tufton urged the community health aides to go into the communities to engage with families and promote responsible child-rearing.
“Our job is to promote responsible parenting, not just to have children for children’s sake… It raises a fundamental issue that we have to manage, as part of public health… that health is about community. That’s why health centres and community hospitals are so important, because you are the heartbeat, so to speak, of your community. And, you’re going to be called on more to provide guidance to those who need guidance,” he said.
“We represent the credibility factor of most communities. We must leverage the credibility that we represent, by spending more time in the community, to talk to people, to encourage families, to encourage responsible parenting and to say to people, ‘It’s okay to have children, and there is a way to be responsible as a parent, and to grow your child to a point where you can achieve the bragging rights that you deserve,” he said.

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For her part, Acting Chief Executive Officer, Percy Junor Hospital, Faith Sterling, expressed pleasure at the hospital’s baby-friendly accreditation.
“I am absolutely elated. This does not only mean that our standards have been raised. It means a positive paradigm shift in the right direction in becoming a first-class hospital in not only Jamaica, but the Caribbean,” she told JIS News.

3 months ago Health & Wellness

Percy Junor Hospital Becomes 12th Baby-Friendly Certified Institution

The Percy Junor Hospital in Manchester has been accredited as a baby-friendly institution, becoming the 12th local public hospital to be certified under the global initiative. A programme of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) recognises health facilities that provide optimal care for mothers and newborns and actively support...

Consultant General Surgeon, Dr. Hugh Anthony Roberts (standing right), engages in discussion with women who attended the World Cancer Day observance at the Jamaica Cancer Society in Kingston on Wednesday (February 4).

3 months ago Health & Wellness

Jamaica Cancer Society Marks World Cancer Day (Photos Only)

Consultant General Surgeon, Dr. Hugh Anthony Roberts (standing right), engages in discussion with women who attended the World Cancer Day observance at the Jamaica Cancer Society in Kingston on Wednesday (February 4).

Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Hon. Krystal Lee, converses with Deputy Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Dwight Crawford (left), and Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA) Regional Director, St. Andrade Sinclair, during the WRHA Healthcare Workers’ Support Fair at Pier 1 in Montego Bay, St. James, on Friday (January 9).

4 months ago Health & Wellness

WRHA Hosts Support Fair for Healthcare Workers Across Western Region

Scores of healthcare workers from across the western region gathered in Montego Bay, St. James, to access critical support services at the Western Regional Health Authority’s (WRHA) Healthcare Workers’ Support Fair, held at the Pier 1 complex on Friday (January 9). The event brought together key public and private sector partners to provide free services in financial literacy, psychosocial well-being,...

Regional Director for Region Five in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Susan Nelson Smith.

4 months ago EducationHurricane Relief & RecoveryInformationSkillsYouth

Psychosocial and Learning Loss Interventions Bolster Region Five’s Post-Hurricane Education Recovery

Psychosocial support and targeted learning-loss interventions have served as central pillars of the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information’s recovery effort in Region Five in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa. Regional Director, Susan Nelson Smith, told JIS News that emotional well-being was prioritised before and during the reopening of schools. She noted that the initiative was first implemented among...

Stakeholders and staff in attendance at the recent St. James Health Department Vector Control Programme media launch. The event was held at the St. James Type V Health Centre in Montego Bay.

4 months ago Health & Wellness

$50m Vector Control Programme Launched in St. James

The St. James Health Department, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Wellness, has officially launched a $50 million Integrated Vector Control Programme aimed at reducing vector-borne diseases in high-risk communities across the parish. The project features a two-component strategic approach: a Breteau Index reduction, which lowers the number of mosquito breeding sites per 100 houses, and a robust...