Cabinet has given approval for the integration of the National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA) to function as a Department of the Ministry of Health and Wellness. This was noted by Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Fayval Williams, during a virtual post-Cabinet press briefing on Wednesday (May 19). Mrs. Williams said Cabinet also approved the repeal of the...

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is forging stakeholder partnerships designed to bolster member countries’ capacity to manufacture medical supplies needed across the region. PAHO Director, Dr. Carissa Etienne, says the entity is working closely with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and Organization of American States (OAS), as well as member states to ensure that countries interested in expanding their...

Front-line workers are to receive special recognition for their contribution to the country, particularly for their vital role in the local management of the COVID-19 pandemic. The disclosure was made by Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, during a JIS virtual ‘Think Tank’ recently. “Our front-line workers – our nurses, our doctors, our police officers and...

Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, says that the Denham Town Golden Age Home in Kingston has not recorded a positive case of the coronavirus (COVID-19) to date. He gave this update during his contribution to the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (May 19). “To date, 220 persons have been infected with...

NEW CASES 24 HRS OVERALL   Confirmed Cases 93 47,572   SEX CLASSIFICATION       Females 43 26,600   Males 50 20,969   Under Investigation 0 3   AGE RANGE 7 months to 91 years 1 day to 108 years             PARISH CLASSIFICATION OF NEW CASES       Clarendon 4 2,598   Hanover...

A US$17-million health training institute, which will expand Jamaica’s offerings in health tourism and medical education, is to be established in Montego Bay, St. James. Expected to open its doors by the latest June next year, the institute, which will be hosted by the University of the West Indies (UWI), will serve as a satellite campus for the Bioprist Institute...

Medical Officer of Health for Westmoreland, Dr. Marcia Graham, says persons must remain vigilant in preventing dengue fever, as the Aedes index is on the increase in the parish. “We have seen an upward trend in our Aedes index from around 10 per cent in February, just under 12 per cent in March, and up to 16.4 per cent as...