Nine agro-exporters have received approximately $10 million in grants from the Government to assist in efforts to upgrade their facilities, in order to become compliant with the United States Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The presentations were made on July 30, at a function held at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries’ Hope Gardens offices in St. Andrew. During the...

Four Jamaican nurses were among 12 persons who received the Queen Medal Award, at a special ceremony organised by Windrush Nurses and Beyond Foundation, at the Dorchester Hotel, in London, on July 27. The nurses are Henrietta Millicent Campbell, Avis Williams-McKoy, Lucretia Riley and Dr. Neslyn Watson-Druée, CBE. These medals were bestowed by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, to recognise...

Cigarette smokers are some of the most loyal customers in the world and it is this loyalty that is killing them by the millions annually. In pushing the no smoking ban in public places, Health Minister, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, often points out that “the tobacco industry is the only industry I know that kills its best and most loyal...

Health Minister, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, says the ban on smoking in public places, with the attendant fines, is not about seeking additional revenue, but rather to protect the nation’s health. Speaking at a JIS ‘Think Tank’ recently,  Dr. Ferguson said that implementation of the Public Health (Tobacco Control) Regulations 2013 will focus on increasing awareness among the public, of...

Health Minister, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, says the ban on smoking in public places is part of a broader strategy that will tie into the National Development Plan, Vision 2030, to make Jamaica the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business. Speaking on the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Issues and Answers’ programme on July 18, the...

Health Minister, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, says he is willing to look at the possibility of allowing businesses, especially in the tourist industry, to have a special area outdoors to facilitate smokers. The Minister, who was speaking on the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) programme, ‘Issues and Answers’, on July 18, was clear about not allowing smoking rooms. “The evidence is...

The Ministry of Health is giving business operators a period of six months to post ‘No Smoking’ signs, in compliance with the Public Health (Tobacco Regulations) 2013, which ban smoking in public places. The legislation took effect on July 15. Speaking at a JIS ‘Think Tank’, on July 16, Legal Officer at the Ministry of Health (MOH), Sheryl Dennis, emphasized...

The Jamaica Cancer Society (JCS) has pledged its full support of the ban on smoking in public places, which came into effect on Monday, July 15. Addressing the 2013 staging of the Relay for Life Awards Ceremony at the Terra Nova Hotel in Kingston on July 16, Executive Director of the JCS, Yulit Gordon, said the Government must be commended...

The Ministry of Health has clarified the term public places, as it continues its thrust to educate the public about the new Public Health (Tobacco Control) Regulations 2013, which ban smoking in public places. The Regulations came into effect on July 15. The Public Health (Tobacco Regulations) 2013 stipulate that individuals should not inhale or exhale emissions of the ignited...