The Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) is imploring parents to get children screened early if they show any sign of a disability or developmental challenge, so that the appropriate interventions can be applied. The CPFSA’s Director for Financial Management and Accounting Services, Michelle McIntosh, said that there are entities that provide the necessary screening to determine the type...

National Health Fund (NHF) service delivery, targeting further reduction in healthcare costs, continues in earnest this financial year. This will be achieved through ongoing implementation of several engagements, including drug subsidy provision for specified chronic illnesses under the Individual Benefits Programme and Jamaica Drug for the Elderly Programme (JADEP), and project funding for the Ministry of Health through the Institutional...

The Bright Journey Medical Mission will be training staff of the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) in new technology to ensure the sustainability of the work being undertaken by the team from China. The 50-member team, comprising ophthalmologists, nurses, and technical support staff, including biomedical engineers, arrived in Jamaica on March 27 to perform cataract surgeries on more than 500 Jamaicans...

Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, has reiterated that new regulations will soon be enacted to officially establish rules under which funeral homes in Jamaica should operate. Dr. Tufton was delivering the main address at the Meadowrest Memorial Gardens’ Annual Appreciation and Celebration of Funeral Directors event, on Tuesday (April 9), at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New...

Vector Control Officer at the Westmoreland Health Department, Ryan Morris, is reporting a major reduction in breeding sites for the Aedes aegypti mosquito in the parish. “We have seen a significant trending down, and we are heading back to normalcy,” he told JIS News. He said that following the declaration of an outbreak of dengue fever in January, the department’s...

Green Island Primary School in Hanover has launched its Jamaica Moves Club, aimed at promoting physical activity and proper nutrition among students. The launch took place on Friday (April 5) during the celebration of the inaugural ‘National School Moves Day’ at the institution. Health Promotions and Education Officer at the Hanover Health Department, Andrene Smith-Benjamin, who was at the school...

The nation’s children are being encouraged to take steps to safeguard their health. This urging comes from State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Alando Terrelonge, who notes that a significant number of persons are falling victim to unhealthy lifestyles. He contended that if children resort to taking care of their bodies, they will practise healthy...