Health Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, says the Reduced Waiting Time Initiative that was implemented last year in 15 health facilities islandwide, will be expanded during the 2018/19 fiscal year, after recording positive results in those institutions. Speaking in the 2018/19 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (June 5), Dr. Tufton said the Government remains committed...

The Ministry of Health is in the process of finalising a report from a review of the four regional health authorities, which will be the subject of stakeholder consultations during the 2018/19 fiscal year. The review, which was led by a team from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), looked at the authorities’ structure and performance, and proposes specific reforms...

A total of 14 projects valued at over $740 million are slated to be completed by the Ministry of Health for the 2018/19 financial year. Portfolio Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, made the disclosure during his Sectoral Debate presentation in the House of Representatives on June 5 under the theme ‘Taking Responsibility’. The priority projects listed to be completed...

Despite the fact that midwives have been around for centuries, for some persons, they remain for an unheralded group of professionals. However, midwife at the Darliston Health Centre in Westmoreland, Sateree Howell, says the profession continues to grow and, with it, the significant demand for its members’ services. She tells JIS News that midwives are specialist nurses who manage the...

Prevention Manager of the National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA) in the western region, Clifton Morris, says that on World No Tobacco Day, May 31, the focus will be on highlighting the many health risks associated with cigarette smoking. Speaking at a recent Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’ at the agency’s Montego Bay Regional Office, Mr. Morris said the...

The Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) and the Ministry of Health are partnering with the Nathan Ebanks Foundation (NEF) to host the second annual Family Expo and Special Needs Resource Fair on the grounds of Hope Gardens, St. Andrew, on Saturday, May 26. Founder of NEF, Christine Staple-Ebanks, told JIS News that the fair, under the theme ‘Healthy...

Parish Manager for St. Catherine Health Services, Beverley Needham, is calling for more corporate bodies to partner with the entity to upgrade health centres in the parish under the Health Ministry’s Adopt-a-Clinic initiative. The programme, being undertaken through support from the United Kingdom (UK) Diaspora, which has already donated $5 million towards the initiative, aims to improve the general ambience...