The Ministry of Health is to continue the implementation of a project to reduce child mortality and improve maternal health, with the allocation of $501.25 million. This allocation is contained in the 2016/17 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The Programme for Reduction of Maternal and Child Mortality (PROMAC) in Jamaica is aimed at the attainment of...

Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, says the Ministry is looking to strengthen coordination among the four Regional Health Authorities (RHAs), particularly as it relates to the sharing of expertise. “We are looking at things like telemedicine, because you have the experts at the University Hospital of the West Indies, who can provide support to Savanna-la-Mar, for example....

The Ministry of Health is to spend some $1.32 billion under the Health Services Improvement Project to support enhanced service delivery in the public health system. This is contained in the 2016/17 Estimates of Expenditure, tabled in the House of Representatives on April 14, by Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Audley Shaw. The targets for the fiscal...

The Ministry of Health is exploring possible pilot implementation of new mosquito eradication measures that will complement those already in place, to further restrict Zika Virus (Zik V) transmission in Jamaica. These include introduction of the Wolbachia bacteria and transgenic mosquitoes, which are capable of restricting the breeding patterns of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, and its ability to transmit Zik...

The Government will be taking steps, this year, to improve service delivery within the health sector. In noting its recognition of the challenges impacting the sector, Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, says the Government is committed to “working assiduously, during the first year of its administration, to tackle them.” He made the announcement while delivering the...

The Jamaica Cancer Society (JCS) says the country is making strides in reducing cervical cancer through increased screenings and public education. In an interview with JIS News, Gynaecologist and member of the JCS board, Dr. Wendel Guthrie, said the prevalence of cervical cancer in Jamaica is fewer than 30 per 100,000 persons, while in other developing countries, the rate is 40...

Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, has lauded the St. John’s Heights Citizens’ Association Benevolent Society on its move to clean the community and safeguard the health of residents, through the launch of a landscaping business. “This is a demonstration of what community spirit should be all about and you are worth emulating,” he said at the launching...