It was with an overwhelming sense of pride and joy that Dr. Brian James accepted the Jamaica Civil Service long-service award on Wednesday (November 20), for his years of contribution to the country in the medical field. He was among 430 civil servants who have served for 25 years or more, who were recognised at the awards ceremony held on...

The Ministry of Tourism will be spending $66 million over the next three years to strengthen and expand Health and Wellness Tourism in Jamaica. Portfolio Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, in making the announcement, said that health and wellness tourism is a growing market internationally and Jamaica is uniquely poised to capitalise on the industry. He said research has shown that...

Persons can now access non-invasive cardiac services at the recently established Cardiology Department, at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH). Establishment of the unit was made possible through $64 million in funding provided by the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund. The facility is equipped with one echocardiogram with three reading stations, one portable echocardiogram, one Holter System with...

The Heart Foundation of Jamaica (HFJ), through its Global Health Advocacy Project (GHAP), is calling for front-of-package labelling on food packages, which will provide consumers with information to make healthier food choices. Speaking at a JIS Think Tank on Wednesday (November 19), HFJ’s GHAP Advocacy Officer, Vonetta Nurse, said the move is in keeping with the entity’s continued efforts to...

The Westmoreland Health Department has issued more than 200 warning notices to persons failing to comply with instructions to destroy mosquito breeding sites on their properties. The notices were issued by vector-control workers subsequent to the activation of the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ enhanced mosquito-control programme in August. The action is in keeping with the Department’s ramped-up efforts to...

The Government will be spending $1 billion over the next three months to support enhanced measures to contain the spread of the dengue virus. Of the sum, some $469.9 million is earmarked for the procurement of 31 mounted fogging machines; 35 fogging vehicles; ultra-low volume flushing solutions; 25 handheld fogging machines; 150 cases of Natular tablets for water treatment; and...

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, has emphasised the importance of partnerships in the delivery of quality health services to Jamaicans. He said that the country has benefited tremendously from such partnerships, noting the overseas missions “that either come to Jamaica or are here collaborating with others to champion particular causes in the interest of the...