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Regulations seeking to establish a Tribunal to which any person aggrieved by the decisions of the National Health Fund (NHF) Board, may appeal, were passed in the House of Representatives on March 12. In his remarks, Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, explained that the Regulations provide for the constitutional, proper administration and overall function of the tribunal. “In...

Patients who use the physiotherapy department at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) will soon have better facilities to assist with their recovery. Hospital staff will also benefit from improved and additional facilities from which to provide the services. This is being provided for under a contract of $93.6 million, to extend and renovate the department, in order...

Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, says the development of a National Infant and Young Child Feeding Policy will assist in reducing mortality and morbidity of infants and children by addressing their nutritional needs. Speaking at a validation workshop for the policy at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on Thursday, March 6, Dr. Ferguson said it will...

The country’s cancer control programme is expected to be strengthened following an assessment by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Since Monday, March 4, a high-level team from IAEA has been carrying out a comprehensive evaluation of the country’s cancer control capacity in the areas of cancer planning, cancer information, prevention, diagnosis and treatment, palliative care, and training. Coming out...

Medical practitioners will benefit from training in colon cancer treatment and prevention at the 2013 Colon Cancer Medical Symposium on Sunday, March 10. The session will take place at the Basic Medical Sciences Building in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of the West Indies’ Mona campus, and will get underway at 8:30 a.m. It is being organised by...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller says the development of the cardiac programme at the Bustamante Hospital for Children will place Jamaica among those countries with highly developed specialist medical facilities for children. “Our children constitute a special segment of the population. They deserve the best care and treatment as the health of our people represents the wealth...

Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson on Friday, February 22, signed a $17 .8 million contract for the upgrading of the Darliston Health Centre, in Westmoreland. Under the contract, which was signed with Maxwell Construction Company, the health facility is to be upgraded to a centre of excellence. The work, which is to be completed in four months, represents...

The Surgical Ward and the Burn Unit at the Bustamante Hospital for Children have been refurbished at a cost of approximately $5.7 million. The facilities were officially re-opened by the Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, during a ceremony at the hospital on Arthur Wint Drive, in Kingston, on Thursday, February 21. Dr. Ferguson said the refurbishment is part...

The Ministry of Health is seeking to enhance dental health care options, as part of efforts to improve the overall health of Jamaicans. This is in recognition of the critical link between oral health and a number of non- communicable diseases including diabetes, which is associated with heart disease, stroke, amputation, eye disease, and kidney disease. Portfolio Minister, Hon. Dr....

Health Minister, Hon. Fenton Dr. Ferguson, has lauded the various charitable organisations and individuals, who continue to provide tangible support to the health sector, which he said, amounted to billions of dollars last year. He named Food For the Poor in particular, which this week donated operating theatre lights, wheelchairs, stretchers, hospital beds and sofas for waiting areas, valued at...

The female medical ward at the St. Ann’s Bay Hospital in St. Ann is to be expanded at a cost of over $73 million. Health Minister, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, on Friday (February 15), signed a contract for the project during a ceremony at the hospital. The work, to be undertaken over eight months by the firm, W.G. Walters Construction...

Government Senator, Lambert Brown, is supporting a call for legislation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which seeks to safeguard the welfare of persons in the workplace. “The Occupational Safety and Health Act is essential in protecting the workers and their families. It is good for employers (as it) will save them from having to face compensation (and) lost...