The National Water Commission (NWC) is to spend $2 billion (US$18.4 million) to implement the 26 Facilities Project as part of the Kingston Metropolitan Area Water Supply Improvement Programme. The project is funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and seeks to provide improved water supply to residents, in keeping with the Commission’s targets and the nation’s Vision 2030 goals....

All Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are now required to file General Consumption Tax (GCT) on government purchases, effective June 1, 2014. This change forms part of the government’s ongoing tax reform programme and is a critical aspect of the country’s deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Speaking at a JIS Think Tank held on Monday, June 2,...

The official opening of the Soe Htwe Medicare centre in Montego Bay, St. James on Sunday, June 1, brings to three, the number of private healthcare facilities to come on stream in the tourist resort town in as many weeks. The two storey medical facility consisting of medical offices, and a pharmacy, represents a US$2 million outlay from the Burmese...

Health Minister, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, says future negotiations between the Government and public sector health workers must be done against the background of Jamaica’s obligations to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Addressing delegates at the recent annual general meeting of the Public Health Nurses Special Interest Group held at the Jewel Resort, Runaway Bay, St. Ann, Dr. Ferguson said Jamaica...

Fourteen Caribbean Tourism Ministers and their senior technocrats have been invited by the Government of Spain to participate in a one-week seminar in that country’s capital, Madrid. Spanish Ambassador to Jamaica, Her Excellency Celsa Nuño, says the seminar will expose participants to, among other things, the importance of renewable energy in sustaining and advancing the tourism sector. She made the...

The Child Development Agency (CDA) is encouraging citizens to become more involved in the lives of children who are in state care. “Expand your mentorship programme to include wards and former wards of the state, support parents in their child-rearing; open your hearts and home to children through our foster care programme and reject child abuse by reporting any known...

The Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) will receive guidance and technical support from the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES), as the Commission continues to bring its operations fully up to World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) standards. The collaboration has resulted from the signing of a 15-month contract on May 15, which was a follow-up to an initial meeting between Minister...