Approximately $50 million has been earmarked to begin implementation of the Electronic Medical Records System within the health sector, to replace the existing paper-based system. “Our first set of projects in terms of Electronic Medical Records will start in the first quarter of next year, and it will start with our regional hospitals and the four Centres of Excellence (for...

The health centre at Darliston, in Eastern Westmoreland, which has been upgraded to a Centre of Excellence, was officially opened on December 20, by Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson. This is the second Health Centre of Excellence to open its doors to the public, with the first being the one in Santa Cruz, St. Elizabeth, which was opened...

Jamaica will be a pilot site for a $20 million project aimed at determining the prevalence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), which is one of the leading tobacco-induced diseases. The Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) Project will be undertaken by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Pulmonary Research Group from the University of the West Indies’...

The case brought against the Minister of Health by British American Tobacco through its local subsidiary Carreras has been settled. News came on Thursday morning as the parties squared off in the Supreme Court. In a quick reaction Health Minister the Honourable Dr. Fenton Ferguson welcomed the development, saying it is always better to settle issues amicably rather than through...

The Buff Bay Community Hospital is to come in for urgent attention. That is the directive from Health Minister the Honourable Dr. Fenton Ferguson. He says that operations at the over 100 year old institution must be immediately reviewed by an ad hoc committee so that a suitable road-map of development can be charted. “My fact-finding mission is to have...

Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, has announced a number of proposed amendments to the Public Health (Tobacco Control) Regulations, which came into effect on July 15, 2013. “In respect of breaches by individuals, fines will be lowered and persons found in breach of the Tobacco Regulations will not be given a criminal record. However, the sanctions imposed will...

Minister of Health, Dr. Hon. Fenton Ferguson, says that work on the multi-million dollar cardiac wing at the Bustamante Hospital for Children is on track for a mid-February completion date. The Minister, who toured the facility, which is currently under construction on Friday morning, December 13, said that the state-of-the-art facility will be the first of its kind in the...