Health Minister, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, says the Ministry has embarked on several activities aimed at supporting the Government’s overall goal of improving the nation’s nutritional needs and provisions. These, he says, include developing policies and guidelines, and having dialogue with food industry stakeholders. Speaking at the launch of the Government’s Inter-Ministerial Integrated School Feeding Programme, at the Planning Institute...

Representatives of organisations that provide support to the disabled community recently got the opportunity to learn from best practices in disabilities policy when they travelled to the United States (US) to observe the execution of that country’s disabilities act. The visit was sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s (DOS) International Visitor Leadership Project under the theme: ‘Advocacy and Inclusiveness...

The Government’s School Wellness Programme is being hailed by one grateful school administrator for potentially saving the life of one of her students. Under the initiative administrated by the National Health Fund (NHF), six screening tests are offered at no cost to high school students, who are selected. These tests are blood pressure, cholesterol, body mass index, haemoglobin, blood sugar...

The Ministry of Health has confirmed four additional cases of Chikungunya bringing the total number of confirmed cases for the country to twenty one (21).   Of this number eighteen (18) are from local transmission, two (2) imported and one (1) considered cryptic due the uncertainty of whether the virus was contracted while traveling overseas or from a household contact. Director,...

The National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA) is calling for a multi-sectoral approach to address the misuse of substances by young people. The call comes against the background of the findings of the 2013 National Secondary School Survey, which shows that there continues to be a high number of students, who are misusing psychoactive substances such as alcohol, tobacco and...

The Jamaica Cancer Society (JCS) is calling for the enforcement of legislation that addresses the main modifiable risk factors for prostate cancer. Speaking at a JIS ‘Think Tank’ on August 26, Executive Director of the Jamaica Cancer Society, Mrs. Yulit Gordon, noted that the risk factors include physical inactivity, harmful use of alcohol, exposure to second hand smoke and unhealthy...

Companies are being urged to make screening for prostate cancer among male employees a calendar activity, and to schedule the exercise during September, observed as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month by the Jamaica Cancer Society. The call has come from Executive Director of the Jamaica Cancer Society, Yulit Gordon, who was addressing a JIS ‘Think Tank’, on August 26. Mrs. Gordon...