As of January 2022, the Government will begin the process of filing civil suits against the families of persons who have abandoned their relatives in health facilities. This was disclosed by Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, who noted that there are currently 174 of these social cases in hospitals across the country. Social cases refer...

Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Leeroy Williams, has revealed that the St. James Municipal Corporation received a donation of some 20,000 masks from Montego Bay’s sister city, Zhuhai, China, for distribution to the public through various agencies. “The Municipal Corporation continues to partner with the Ministry of Health and Wellness in the fight against COVID-19… .  The masks will be...

The St. Elizabeth Public Health Department and Municipal Corporation have agreed to coordinate activities aimed at preventing the spread of rodents in the parish. Chief Public Health Inspector, St. Elizabeth,  Everod Lewis, told JIS News that at the Corporation’s monthly meeting on Thursday (November 11), it was noted that there are rodent challenges in several towns, most notably Black River,...

The Ministry of Health and Wellness is looking into the potential use of coronavirus (COVID-19) self-test kits locally for personal and firm-level surveillance or monitoring of the virus. This was disclosed by Portfolio Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton during a statement to Parliament on November 9. “There have been some queries concerning the use of the self-test, which means...

More than 40,615 diagnostic tests have been completed in private facilities at a cost of $1.42 billion over the past two years, under the Government’s Enhancing Healthcare Services Delivery Project, which seeks to improve access to services within the public healthcare system. The project, which got under way in September 2019, was designed to collaborate with private providers of diagnostic...

Public health expenditure in countries across the region has increased since the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as states bolster their capacity to respond, including deploying vaccines and maintaining essential health services. Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director, Dr. Carissa Etienne, in making the disclosure at the entity’s weekly COVID-19 digital media briefing on Wednesday (November 10), said that...

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, says that the Government has invested $700 million to purchase diagnostic and other medical equipment for three hospitals across the island. These are Spanish Town in St. Catherine; St. Ann’s Bay, St. Ann; and the May Pen Hospital in Clarendon. To be facilitated under the Health Services Support Project funded...