A special unit is to be established within the Ministry of Health to monitor the care for newborns at public and private facilities. Portfolio Minister, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, made the announcement during a statement in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, October 27. The move follows the death of 19 preterm babies at the University of the Hospital of...

Reproductive Health Advisor at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Sub-Regional Office for the Caribbean, Dr. Mario Aguilar, says investing in the reduction of adolescent pregnancies can lead to significant economic and social gains. Speaking on a recent Jamaica Information Service (JIS) television programme, ‘Issues and Answers’, he emphasised that every effort must be taken in the region to deal...

Come December, all public hospitals in Jamaica will be testing pregnant women and newborns for sickle cell disease (SCD). The universal screening programme is part of a thrust by the Government, to develop a strong framework for the early detection, diagnosis and treatment of persons suffering from the debilitating condition. The objective is to minimise the effects of SCD on...

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...