The National Blood Transfusion Centre is imploring all eligible individuals to support World Blood Donor Day collections on Thursday, June 14. The theme for this year’s observance is ‘Be There for Someone Else. Give Blood. Share Life’. It is recognised as a day to honour voluntary blood donors for their generosity and sacrifice as well as raise awareness surrounding the...

Chief Medical Officer in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Jacquiline A. Bisasor-McKenzie says the Ministry is investigating reports of a shortage of drugs affecting private pharmacies. “Based on the media reports, we are investigating, and have contacted some of the distributors and are awaiting the reports to see if there are drug shortages and exactly what those shortages are,” Dr....

Work is apace on the development of a policy proposal and road map for the sustainable implementation of a National Health Insurance Plan (NHIP) for Jamaica. The proposal will address elements relating to the benefits package, which includes levels and sources of financing, legislative changes, provider network, and the requisite administrative and organisational structures. This is contained in a Ministry...

Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, has called for a “cultural shift” in how persons with mental illness are treated in the society. He said a significant number of persons suffer from mental illness, noting that many of them are often ignored by families and the wider community because of the stigma associated with the disorder. “We need...

The Ministry of Health has established a Medicinal Cannabis Unit (MCU) as part of measures to facilitate the medical marijuana industry’s development in Jamaica. This was disclosed in a Ministry Paper tabled by Portfolio Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, in the House of Representatives on June 5. To date, the MCU has registered approximately 61 medicinal cannabis products, manufactured...

A cohort of 18 nurses and five educators/supervisors will depart for the People’s Republic of China later this month to participate in a Nurses Training Exchange Programme. Another group is slated to travel to the United Kingdom (UK) to participate in a training programme in that country early next year. This was disclosed by Health Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher...

The number of entities participating in the Government’s Public-Private Sector Pharmacy Programme is being increased. Health Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, said 35 pharmacies will be added to the initiative’s current participants to bring the number to 52, pointing out that contracts to expand the complement have been signed. He was speaking in the 2018/19 Sectoral Debate in the...