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Director, Sub-regional Office in the Caribbean, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Geeta Sethi, said that universal access to reproductive health must be a priority investment for all governments in the region. “People are the most important resource of a country and given the Caribbean’s large youth population, half of which is below 25 years old, special emphasis must be placed...

Mayor of  Portmore, George Lee, says the much anticipated hospital for the Municipality  will become a reality this year. He said that the  ground-breaking for the hospital will be "sometime this year," noting that the project "will change the face of Portmore and create jobs for the people." The Mayor was speaking at a community forum on July 12, at...

The country's adolescents and youths are being urged to take serious responsibility for their sexual and reproductive health to avoid unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STI). The appeal came from Acting Director, Social Policy, Planning and Research Division, Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), Easton Williams, at a World Population Day symposium held on July 11 at Emancipation Park in...

Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, says Jamaica’s participation in the rapidly growing global health export sector is crucial to the country’s sustainable health development. He said health care services are recognised as being a very important contributor to the growth and development of the services sector, which the most recent estimates put at 81.5 per cent of Jamaica’s...

Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, says that Epidemiology studies have been completed and the results have justified the decision to establish a state-of-the art Child and Adolescent Hospital in western Jamaica. "We have identified the land, finalised the preliminary design and the costing for this project. This project will become a National Centre of Excellence and an example...

The Ministry of Health has secured funding from the World Bank to develop a National Strategic Plan for National Health Information System strengthening and modernisation, over the six-month period from July to December 2012. This was disclosed by Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, during his contribution to the 2012/13 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives, on July...

Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, says Jamaica has made significant gains in the area of immunisation coverage over the last 50 years. Dr. Ferguson informed that Jamaica has been recognised among the most successful countries in Latin America and the Caribbean region by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), pointing out that the country's programme has been cited...

The Ministry of Health has set up an Equipment Performance Taskforce (EPTF), in an effort to develop a framework for the optimal use of medical equipment and to help standardise the equipment procurement process. Making his contribution to the 2012/13 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives, on July 11, Portfolio Minister, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, said the proposed policy...

During this financial year, the Health Ministry will initiate the establishment of four Centres of Excellence at the primary care level, one in each of the four Regional Health Authorities. Health Minister, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, says planning is far advanced, and that some $100 million is to be provided for the project by the National Health Fund (NHF). The...

The Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute (CFNI) is urging senior citizens to take charge of their health, by consuming a variety of nutritious foods, in adequate portions. Speaking in an interview with JIS News, Nutritionist at the CFNI, Dr. Audrey Morris, said it is critical for senior citizens to eat healthy, because the older one gets, the more dependent the...

Jamaica will join the rest of the world in observing World Population Day on July 11, under the theme: 'Universal Access to Reproductive Health Service’. Advocacy and Communication Advisor of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Althea Buchannan, said the observance will allow Jamaicans to become more aware and knowledgeable of the critical issues surrounding maternal and reproductive health, which...

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS) has launched an HIV in the Workplace Public Education campaign, aimed at sensitising employers of the need to adopt policies on HIV and AIDS. The initiative being undertaken by the Occupational HIV Unit in the Ministry’s Safety and Health Department, falls under the United States President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR),...