The Heart Foundation of Jamaica (HFJ) is urging parents and school officials to take responsibility for the screening of student athletes in order to detect risks for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). “It is important to get the children screened and not wait for somebody else to pay for it,” said the HFJ’s Executive Director, Deborah Chen. She pointed out that...

Acting Director of the Caribbean Institute for Health Research at the University of the West Indies Professor Marvin Reid, is reiterating the need for persons to pay close attention to the relationship between nutrition and cancer. Speaking in an interview with JIS News on behalf of the Jamaica Cancer Society (JCS), Professor Reid said nutrition plays a role both as...

Minister of Health Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton says the Ministry, is prepared to solve the problems affecting the Cornwall Regional Hospital, in St. James. He was addressing a town hall meeting at the Montego Bay Civic Centre on February 23, to address concerns over the safety of the 43-year old health facility. For several months, staff have been complaining...

Scores of high-school students participated in the Jamaica Cancer Society’s seventh annual Anti-Tobacco Youth Forum, held on February 23 under the theme: ‘Mek Wi Talk Round 2’. The forum, held at the Courtleigh Auditorium in Kingston, formed part of the Society’s ongoing public-awareness campaign in the fight against tobacco usage by young persons. At the event, presentations were made by...

Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, says the Ministry is committed to resolving problems associated with noxious fumes emanating from the ventilation system at the Cornwall Regional Hospital in Montego Bay. “We have put in place an arrangement to do environmental testing in different sections of the facility,” he said. “We will also provide medical care to those...

The Ministry of Health will be intensifying its programme in primary schools, aimed at reducing dental cavities in children. Portfolio Minister, Hon. Dr. Christopher Tufton, said that come March, the dental sealant programme will be focused on students preparing for the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT). He said the objective is to reach them before high school when there is...

The Government has allocated $589.86 million towards the Programme for the Reduction of Maternal and Child Mortality (PROMAC) in Jamaica Project. This is outlined in the 2017-18 Estimates of Expenditure now before the House of Representatives. One of the objectives of the project is to provide support to Jamaica in attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of reducing child mortality...