Jamaica has emerged the winner of a regional radio song contest from among 14 countries, highlighting messages of combating HIV/AIDs infection and stigma across the Caribbean. Dubbed, ‘LIVE UP I Like Muhself Caribbean Radio Song Contest’, the project sought to contribute to the improvement of sexual and reproductive health in general, and in particular, to reduction in the transmission rates...

More persons are to benefit from the Atlanta/Montego Bay Sister Cities Annual Health Mission next year, as there will be a 50 per cent increase in funding for the mission. This was announced by the Mayor of  Atlanta in the United States, Kasim Reed, as he addressed the Montego Bay  Chamber of Commerce and Industry expo ceremony, recently. “I want...

Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, has underscored the need for persons to become very health conscious, and join in the  campaign against Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), which is responsible for about 70 per cent of preventable deaths. He cites tobacco use, abuse of alcohol, improper diet and lack of exercise as the four pillars on which the prevalence of...

Employers, who restrict a person’s right to work, based on their HIV status, could face sanctions under the proposed Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Bill. “All offences under the Bill will attract sanctions that include imprisonment or fines. Any work site, which does not put in place a response to HIV, will be in breach of the OSH Bill,” said...

Health Minister, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, says the administration is spending some $500 million to improve hospitals islandwide for the 2013/14 fiscal year. This is being complemented by similar work earmarked for approximately 100 health centres across the country, at a cost of some $400 million. The projects are part of the Government’s 2013/14 strategic priorities, focusing on human capital...

Administrators and medical personnel at the leading health institution in Western Jamaica, the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH), are always striving to put the institution on the cutting edge of 21st Century medicine, in the provision of health care. The latest initiative is the introduction of a Kidney Transplant project, which got off the ground on October 8. Through collaboration with...

Rehabilitation works on the Annotto Bay Hospital in St. Mary have been completed at a cost of more than $90 million. The project, spearheaded by the Ministry of Health, was undertaken to repair infrastructural damage sustained by the 146 year-old institution during Hurricane Sandy's passage in October 2012. Refurbishing work  was done  on the female medical, paediatric, and maternity wards;...