Jamaicans will strongly support action on the part of Government to combat obesity, including imposing a tax on sugary drinks. This is according to the findings of a National Obesity Prevention Public Opinion Survey commissioned by the Heart Foundation of Jamaica and Vital Strategies, which was launched at the Spanish Court Hotel on March 7. “Based on the findings of...

More patients are to be relocated from the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) in St. James as the Government works to complete a $2 billion restoration project at the facility. Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, said that facilities at the Falmouth Hospital in Trelawny have been expanded to take in additional patients and discussions are being held with...

Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, says there is need for an intensified engagement of young people and education administrators for the reduction of substance abuse in schools. Addressing the opening of a Drug Treatment Court, in Morant Bay, St. Thomas, on March 1, the Minister pointed out that surveys conducted by the National Council on Drug Abuse...

The median age of women diagnosed with breast cancer in Jamaica is 52, which is eight years younger than the global average of 60 years. Medical Oncologist at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), Dr. Sheray Chin, told JIS News that “about 60 per cent of the breast cancer that we diagnose in Jamaica is among women between...

Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, has charged the nation’s nurses to prepare to play a greater role in promoting and protecting public health. He noted that nurses, given the regular and frequent contact they have with people, are in a unique position to promote healthy lifestyles and advise persons against habits that can endanger their health. “The...

Educators are welcoming the Government’s $5.9-million incentive programme, which is aimed at increasing secondary-school attendance by students benefiting under the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH). The programme, dubbed ‘School Days Count’, is a two-year initiative and will roll out between February and April in 34 institutions that have below-70 per cent attendance levels. It was launched on...

The National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) team has emerged as winners of the National Health Fund’s ‘Force it out Challenge’ competition. The team, as well as other men and women of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) were awarded during a ceremony held on February 23 at the Jamaica Police Academy, Twickenham Park, St. Catherine. The initiative, which was launched on April...