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The new $860-million National Linear Cancer Treatment Centre at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Kingston.

Health Ministry to Finalise 10-Year Strategic Plan in a Few Months

The Government’s development of a 10-year Strategic Plan for the public health sector is expected to be finalised within the next few months. This was disclosed by Health Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, at Monday’s (November 26) official opening...

Executive Director of the National Council on Drug Abuse, Michael Tucker, addressing a recent JIS Think Tank.

NCDA Calls for Interventions to Discourage Cananbis Use by Youth

Chair, Jamaica AIDS Support for Life, Canon Garth Minott (second right), and Japan's Ambassador to Jamaica, His Excellency Hiromasa Yamazaki (third left), cut the ribbon symbolising the official opening of Jamaica AIDS Support for Life's renovated wellness centre in Kingston on Monday (November 26). Others (from left) are Executive Director, Jamaica AIDS Support for Life, Kandasi Levermore; Senior Medical Officer in the Ministry of Health's HIV/STI/TB Unit, Dr. Nicola Skyers; and Regional Director, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Dr. Kevin Harvey.

Jamaica Aids Support for Life Opens Renovated Wellness Centre

Health Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton (2nd right), examines the Linear cancer radiation therapy treatment machine installed at the newly built National Cancer Treatment Centre at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Kingston, following the facility’s official opening on Monday (Nov. 26). Also looking on (from left) are: Consultant at the Centre, Dr. Misledy Morales; Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund Board Member and Chair of the entity’s Health Committee, Merle Donaldson; Member of Parliament for South East St. Andrew, where the centre is located, Julian Robinson; National Health Fund (NHF) Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Everton Anderson; CHASE Fund CEO, Billy Heaven; and the Centre’s Head Radiation Oncologist, Dr. Praveen Sharma.

Linear Cancer Treatment Centre Opens in Kingston

Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, interacts with a patient at the launch of the Public-Private Sector Pharmacy Partner Programme at the Camdex Pharmacy in Green Island, Hanover, recently.

Nearly 100,000 Prescriptions Filled Under Public-Private Pharmacy Programme

Health Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton (left), addresses the ninth annual staging of the National Health Research Conference, at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston on November 22.

7 years ago Health & Wellness

Final Draft of National Health Insurance Plan Being Prepared for Cabinet

Health Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, says the final draft of the National Health Insurance Plan is being prepared for submission to Cabinet. “We held a series of consultations with a range of stakeholders. We still may do a few more, but ultimately, Cabinet will have to approve it; then there is the matter of how you operationalise it....

Senior Medical Officer at the National Chest Hospital (NCH), Dr. Terry Baker, addresses a JIS Think Tank, where she provides details about the Lung Cancer Symposium to be held at the National Chest Hospital on Thursday (November 22).

7 years ago Health & Wellness

Lung Cancer Medical Symposium Today

The Jamaica Cancer Society (JCS) in association with the National Chest Hospital (NCH) will host a Lung Cancer Medical Symposium on Thursday (November 22). The event is scheduled to begin at 5:00 pm at the NCH on Barbican Road, St. Andrew. Speaking at a recent JIS Think Tank, NCH Senior Medical Officer, Dr. Terry Baker, explained that the symposium aims...

State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, addresses the House of Representatives on Tuesday (November 20).

7 years ago EducationHealth & Wellness

Ministries Working Together to Promote Healthy Eating in Schools

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information has been working with the Ministry of Health to develop standards for schools, to encourage healthy eating. Speaking in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (November 20), State Minister, Hon. Floyd Green, said this has caused the Ministry to do a comprehensive review of the items that it provides to the school system....

Director of Policy and Research, Bureau of Gender Affairs, Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Sharon Coburn-Robinson, addresses recent Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’.

7 years ago Gender AffairsHealth & Wellness

Ministry Promotes Healthy Gender Relations

The Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport will again promote healthy gender relations, through the staging of the annual International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (IDEVAW) 2018, on November 25. This year, it is being held globally under the theme ‘#HearMeToo: End Violence Against Women and Girls’. IDEVAW aims to raise public awareness of violence against...

Chief Medical Officer in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Dr. Jacqueline Bisasor-McKenzie, speaking at a JIS Think Tank on November 16.

7 years ago CommerceHealth & WellnessIndustry

Health Ministry Supports Conditional Use of Cannabis for Research and Medicinal Purposes

Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Jacqueline Bisasor-McKenzie, says the Ministry of Health supports the use of cannabis and products derived from the plant for research and medicinal purposes, where scientific evidence validates their benefits and effectiveness in treating specific conditions. Speaking at a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank on November 16, Dr. Bisasor-McKenzie said the Ministry is prepared to accept...

Health Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton (right), and Japan’s Ambassador to Jamaica, His Excellency Hiromasa Yamazaki (2nd right), peruse the features of a new $8.2 million state-of-the-art ultrasound machine, which was donated to the St. Ann’s Bay Regional Hospital by the Government of Japan under the Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots Human Security Projects initiative. The machine was officially handed over during a ceremony at the institution on Friday (November 16). Looking on (from left): are Labour and Social Security Minister and Member of Parliament for North East St. Ann, where the hospital is located, Hon. Shahine Robinson; the Hospital’s Chief Executive Officer, Leo Garel; St. Ann’s Bay Mayor and St. Ann Municipal Corporation Chairman, Councillor Michael Belnavis; and the Hospital’s Consultant Gynaecologist, Dr. Patrick Clarke.

7 years ago Health & Wellness

St. Ann’s Bay Hospital Gets State-of-the-Art Ultrasound Machine

The St. Ann’s Bay Regional Hospital has received a major boost with the donation of a new state-of-the-art ultrasound machine, valued approximately $8.2 million, by the Embassy of Japan in Jamaica. The machine, which was provided under the Government of Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots Human Security Projects initiative, was formally handed over by Japanese Ambassador to Jamaica, His Excellency...

Executive Director of the Bureau of Standards Jamaica, Stephen Wedderburn (right), converses with Toxicilogist/Analyst in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Errol Dakin; and Head of the Microbiology Department at the University of The West Indies (UWI), Dr. Alison Nicholson, at a World Antibiotic Awareness Week event held at Knox College, Spalding, Clarendon, on November 15.

7 years ago Health & WellnessScience

UWI Lecturer Warns Against Misuse of Antibiotics

Head of the Microbiology Department, University of the West Indies (UWI), Dr. Alison Nicholson, says overuse and misuse of antibiotics is affecting their effectiveness in treating infections, resulting in a rapid emergence of resistant bacteria worldwide. She noted that “bacteria have learned the secrets of how antibiotics work and are outsmarting them”. “Some of them (bacteria) have very elaborate mechanisms...