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Approximately $94 billion has been reserved in the budget for social safety net programmes, the provision of housing, jobs and training, and initiatives to assist vulnerable communities. This was disclosed by Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. the Hon. Peter Phillips,as he opened the 2013/14 Budget Debate on Friday, April 18, in the House of Representatives under the theme ‘Restoring...

The Ministry of Health is to remove from the market, the four brands of toilet tissue found to be contaminated. At the Jamaica House press briefing held at the Office of the Prime Minister on Wednesday, April 17, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Jean Dixon and Chairman of the Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ), Dr. Winston Davidson, outlined details...

The May Pen Hospital is slated to undergo a multi-million dollar upgrading and rehabilitation project this fiscal year. This was disclosed by Health Minister, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson on Friday, April 12, following a tour of the Clarendon-based facility. Dr. Fergsuon said the project is estimated to cost between $96 million and $100 million, with approximately $64 million of the...

Parents are being urged to examine their children’s responsiveness and behaviour during the early stages of development in an effort to identify and treat any disorders, including autism. The advice, from Professor of Child Health, Child Development and Behaviour at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Professor Maureen Samms Vaughan, comes as Jamaica joins the world in marking World...

The Ministry of Health is moving to make it easier for overseas partners to make donations of equipment and services to the health sector, and that these contributions go to the areas of greatest need. “The Ministry is now in the process of revising the gift policy and procedures and guidelines, to make it easier for us to receive, track...

Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, is lauding the invaluable contribution of charitable organisations and missions to the health sector, which he says, saves the Government millions in expenditure annually According to Dr. Ferguson, there are close to 200 voluntary missions to Jamaica each year, offering services in various general care areas. He informed that in 2012, approximately 172...

During the past year, 17 ambulances were purchased at a cost of US$884,323 for distribution across all health regions, Health Minister, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, has informed. Making the announcement during his contribution to the 2013/14 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on June 25, Dr. Ferguson said delivery of these units is expected to begin by the end...

The Government has allocated $34 million to continue its social intervention programmes, geared towards improving the lives of persons with disabilities (PWDs). This is outlined in the 2013/14 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The project, which is being implemented by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, aims to strengthen the capacity of the Jamaica Council...

The Ministry of Health has put contingency measures in place to ensure the effective delivery to care at public hospitals, as doctors continue their industrial action. Portfolio Minister, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson told the House of Representatives on Thursday, April 4, that activities at public hospitals have been scaled down to emergency services only. “There is no elective surgery that...

Jamaican women between 21 and 55 years of age are being encouraged to do their annual pap smear, in order to facilitate early detection and treatment if cancer is found. This call forms part of the Jamaica Cancer Society’s (JCS) observance of Cancer Awareness Month in April, under the theme: ‘Screening and a Healthy Lifestyle Practice - Your Best Defence...

Scores of Jamaicans now have a clearer vision of the future, having benefitted from the services offered by Cuban specialists under the Jamaica/Cuba Eye Care Programme. This intervention has afforded them the opportunity to undergo treatment for eye conditions that would have otherwise been costly, free of charge. Launched in January 2010, the local programme seeks to help reduce preventable...

The operational capacity of the Percy Junor Hospital in Spaldings, Manchester, has been boosted by the provision of additional medical equipment, valued at just over $2.3 million (C$25,868), by the Canadian High Commission in Jamaica. The equipment, provided through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI), include an examination bed, a diagnostics set, a vital signs machine, infant and adult...