The Japanese Government is providing $10 million (US$86,780) for the acquisition of a Digital Mobile C-Arm machine for the May Pen Hospital in Clarendon, which will strengthen the provision of orthopaedic surgeries at the facility. A grant agreement for the procurement was signed on Thursday (December 6) by Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton; Ambassador of Japan to...

Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen and Lady Allen, have donated medical items to the Bustamante Hospital for Children. The donation, which includes two blood pressure machines, a weighing scale, and a nebuliser, were presented during a visit to the facility on Wednesday (December 5), where Their Excellencies also presented gifts to patients and staff at the...

Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, is urging precaution against the dengue fever virus, including destroying mosquito breeding sites in and around the home. He said that while there has been an “unusually high” number of reported cases of dengue in the island, this is not remarkable for this time of the year, reiterating that there is no...

Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, is commending the Pesticides Control Authority (PCA) and its stakeholders for their sterling contributions to safeguarding the country’s food produce and public health. Speaking at the PCA’s annual awards ceremony held at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St. Andrew on Monday (December 4), he said that the Authority has given dedicated...

The National Commission on Science and Technology (NCST) is working on an amendment to the Food and Drug Safety Act, to identify nutraceuticals as a special category. Director General at the NCST, Professor Errol Morrison, speaking at a JIS ‘Think Tank’ on November 27, noted that Cabinet has already received the submission as it relates to the amendment. He explained...

Cabinet has approved the Interim Guidelines for beverages in schools, which will not only help to improve the dietary intake of children but also set the stage to reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which account for 78 per cent of Jamaicans who die each year. This was announced by Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, during...

Health Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, says five hospitals have been shortlisted for upgrading over the next three to five years with loan funding of US$50 million from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). These institutions are the Kingston Public, Spanish Town, May Pen, Mandeville and St. Ann’s Bay Hospitals. Speaking at the recent opening of the National Linear Cancer...