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Minister of Health, John Junor has pointed out that the subsidy provided on prescription drugs under the National Health Fund (NHF), was on a per tablet basis and not on a per prescription basis, thereby maximising the benefit to patients who suffered from chronic diseases covered by the Fund. Mr. Junor was responding to concerns raised by Opposition Spokesman on...

Director General of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), Dr. Barbara Carby, has said that heavy debt burden was to blame for the Caribbean vulnerability to natural disasters. She pointed out, that when the majority of a country's budget was set aside for debt repayment, this invariably reduced the resources available to implement sound disaster management plans,...

The long-standing tradition of quoting the worth of a company's shares by using an artificial measure referred to as the par or nominal value, will be a thing of the past under the new Companies Act of 2004. Scheduled for implementation on January 1, 2005, the new Act will effectively repeal the 1965 Company Law, which states that companies with...

The National Works Agency (NWA) has completed designs for the rehabilitation of two fordings situated at Eleven Miles, St. Thomas, which were eroded due to heavy rainfall caused by Hurricane Ivan. State Minister in the Ministry of Transport and Works, Dr. Fenton Ferguson, made the announcement while responding to concerns raised by residents about the poor condition of the fordings...

Close to 150 education officials from across the Caribbean, the United States and Europe, are in the island for the inaugural conference of the Caribbean Area Network for Quality Assurance in Tertiary Education (CANQATE). The two-day conference, which got underway yesterday (Nov. 3) at the Breezes Hotel in Runaway Bay, St. Ann, is being hosted by the University Council of...

Mayor of Kingston and St. Andrew, Councillor Desmond McKenzie is currently in Toronto, Canada, garnering support for the May Pen Cemetery Restoration Fund. Speaking with JIS News, Mayor McKenzie said the Fund, which was launched earlier this year with a $5 million donation from National Commercial Bank (NCB), has been receiving good corporate support in Jamaica. The Fund was now...

The Clarendon Health Department will be launching a hand-washing programme in schools to encourage students to practise proper hygiene. The programme has been approved by the Ministry of Health and is being implemented in collaboration with Colgate Palmolive Company Limited. In a JIS News interview, Shelton Maxwell, Health Educator at the Clarendon Health Department, explained that some 6,000 primary school...

The Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ) has renamed its standard library in honour of its former Executive Director, Reverend.Dr. Artnel Henry, rechristening the building, 'The Dr. Artnel Henry Standards and Technical Information Centre.' The official renaming and dedication of the building took place yesterday (November 3) at the BSJ's office on Winchester Road in Kingston. Delivering the main address at...

You will recall that in a broadcast to the nation in June, I raised the subject of the serious challenge we face with regard to the spiraling cost of a resource in which the nation is deficient as well as our excessive use of energy. I said then that this had the potential to seriously hinder our carefully planned development...

The 21st annual conference of the Jamaica Computer Society, held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in St. James recently, was successful in its objective of bringing together information technology practitioners from the region as well as from the United States and Canada, for the sharing of experiences and exchange of ideas. Held under the theme 'Utilization of Traditional and Open...

November is being observed as Local Government and Community Development Month, and according to the Ministry, the month promises to throw the spotlight on communities islandwide, as they unite for a safe and prosperous Jamaica. The month, which is being celebrated under the theme, 'Together We Can.Renew, Reclaim and Rebuild our Communities for a Safe and Prosperous Jamaica', is geared...

Jamaica has benefited from a donation of construction material and relief supplies from the Miami Dade City Commission to assist in the post hurricane recovery and reconstruction efforts. The donation, comprising 40,000 pounds of construction material including roof nails and tarpaulins; bottled water, canned foods, babies' food and clothing, was presented to the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management...