The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has lauded the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation (WCJF) on its programme offered to adolescent mothers. The Foundation, which was established in 1978 in response to the high occurrence of teenage pregnancies in Jamaica, provides continuing education for adolescent mothers and, where possible, facilitates the return of high school drop outs to institutions that...

The smiles of thousands of ordinary Jamaicans have been made brighter through the outreach work provided by the country’s first dental training school, the College of Oral Health Sciences. A faculty of the University of Technology (UTech), the college has, for decades, offered dental services free of cost through clinics and health centres in the public health sector. The dental...

The South East Regional Authority (SERHA) is closely monitoring cases of Hand, Foot and Mouth disease that have been found in at least three schools in Kingston and St. Andrew and six schools in St. Catherine. The Health Departments in the respective parishes have been working closely with the schools to minimise the spread of the disease. The schools have...

Employers are being encouraged to be as accommodating as possible in the workplace in assisting lactating mothers who have returned to work, so they can sustain breastfeeding for at least six months, so that their babies can be adequately nourished. In an interview with JIS News, Director of Nutrition in the Ministry of Health, Sharmaine Edwards, explained that the Ministry...

Thousands of residents of Rowlandsfield and surrounding districts in St. Thomas now have access to improved healthcare delivery following the upgrading of the community health centre at a cost of $13.9 million. The project entailed expansion of floor space and waiting area; putting in additional patient rooms; roofing and tiling works; installation of a water storage facility; providing wheelchair access;...

Renovation and expansion works totalling over $100 million is being undertaken at the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department at the Linstead Hospital, in St. Catherine. Of the sum, $76.4 million will be spent to renovate and expand specific areas, while the remainder of the funds will go toward equipping and installing a heating ventilation and air conditioning system in the...

The Government continues work to strengthen the country’s cancer care system through strategic partnerships with international entities. On August 26 of this year, the Government signed a contract with global leader in diagnostic and pharmaceutical products, Roche, to market Herceptin Subcutaneous (SC), an agent commonly used in the treatment of early stage Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (HER) 2 Positive...