Executive Director of the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation (WCJF), Dr. Zoe Simpson, says the rate of adolescent pregnancy in Jamaica is trending down, as a result of several interventions by Government. Dr. Simpson, who spoke recently on  the  Jamaica Information Service (JIS) television programme, ‘Issues and Answers’,  said the adolescent pregnancy rate in 1978 was approximately 31-32 per cent,...

The Cornwall Regional Hospital is again expanding its capacity to accommodate additional premature babies in light of the death of a number of at-risk newborns at the institution. Following a meeting of the Board of Management on Thursday afternoon, where a report was tendered on the matter, it was decided that steps would be taken to further expand the nursery...

Jamaica’s ability to tap into the medical tourism sector has been significantly boosted under a multi-lateral arrangement signed recently between the Jamaica National Agency for Accreditation (JANAAC) and the Inter-American Accreditation Cooperation. Through this agreement, JANAAC’s signatory scope with the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) will be extended to include Medical Laboratory Accreditation to the International Standardization Organization (ISO) 15189...

Contracts valued at $243 million have been approved for the provision of various services aimed at expanding and improving the quality of care for premature infants and high-risk pregnant women. The money is being provided under the $2.8 billion (€22 million) Programme for the Reduction of Maternal and Child Mortality (PROMAC), funded by the European Union (EU), which is aimed...

The Ministry of Health is renewing its focus on infection control and sanitation in healthcare facilities, in a bid to further reduce the deaths of premature babies in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU). This follows the recent outbreak of four cases of healthcare associated infections (HCAI) at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) and the Cornwall Regional Hospital...

Minister of Health, Dr. Fenton Ferguson called an emergency meeting on Saturday, October 17, 2015 with a team from the University Hospital of the West Indies, the Ministry of Health and the South East Regional Health Authority to review the current situation regarding an infection affecting some newborns at the UHWI. The meeting took place at the UHWI’s Board room. During...

The Ministry of Health and the North East Regional Health Authority (NERHA) have signed a letter of intent to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Patel Foundation for Global Understanding, to expand the services provided at the Alexandria Community Hospital, in St. Ann. The project would involve expansion of the maternity, pharmacy and dental services, in the first...