More

KINGSTON — Jamaicans are being encouraged to get tested for HIV and syphilis on World AIDS Day on December 1. On December 1, Behaviour Change Communication Officer, National HIV/STI Programme, Ministry of Health, Roshane Reid, said that all regional health authorities will be offering free testing for the diseases on the day. “So persons can come out and get tested,”...

KINGSTON — President of the University of Technology (UTech), Professor Errol Morrison, has warned that unless the prevalence of chronic communicable diseases, like diabetes, are reduced or eliminated, they could negatively impact productivity. Speaking at a corporate health and wellness power breakfast, hosted by UTech at Lillian's Restaurant on the university’s Old Hope Road campus in Kingston, Professor Morrison noted...

Health Minister, Hon. Rudyard Spencer, has underscored the need for greater effort in curtailing the growing prevalence of diabetes, in order to prevent it from developing into a severe uncontrollable disease. In a message delivered by Chief Medical Officer, Ministry of Health, Dr. Eva Lewis-Fuller, at a health and wellness power breakfast in Kingston, on November 15, Mr. Spencer voiced...

'An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure' captures the essence of what the National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA) strives for, in their effort to reduce the abuse of illicit drugs and substances among Jamaicans. The NCDA has, since its inception, been working through partnerships with schools, communities, churches and corporate organizations, in an effort to promote...

KINGSTON — Thousands of civil servants will now be able to access affordable air ambulance evacuation services through the EMED LIFE LINE programme. This has been made possible through an agreement signed on November 11 between the Jamaica Civil Service Association (JCSA) and EMED Management, an Emedical Global Jamaica Limited brand. Approved union members throughout Jamaica will be eligible for...

KINGSTON — A full slate of activities is scheduled for this year's observance of Diabetes Week from November 13 to 19 under the theme: 'Diabetes Education and Prevention'. Organised by the Diabetes Association of Jamaica (DAJ) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the observance seeks to increase awareness about the chronic health condition. Executive Director of the DAJ, Owen...

KINGSTON — The National Health Fund (NHF) is reporting an increase in demand for diabetes medication with the Government paying out close to $1 billion in drug subsidy in 2010. "We have looked at our figures and when we look at 2004, we have increased from paying out subsidies of $16 million…and up to 2010 (we paid out) $940 million...

KINGSTON — Reports have indicated that 668 women were raped and 531 suffered from carnal abuse in Jamaica, in 2010. Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Hon Olivia "Babsy" Grange, revealed the figures while addressing Parliamentarians from across the Caribbean, Academics and United Nations representatives at the Caribbean Regional Consultation of Parliamentarians on gender-based violence prevention on Wednesday (November 9)...

KINGSTON — Attorney General, Ransford Braham, says that while Jamaica has embraced an aggressive and consistent anti-doping approach, rapid developments in sports medicine and technology are a threat to those efforts. "The fast pace of these developments have threatened to outpace anti-doping testing regimes," Mr. Braham warned, in an address at the launch of the University of the West Indies...

KINGSTON — Twenty dialysis machines have been donated to three hospitals across the island by the Bridge of Life,out of the United States of America (USA). The hospitals are University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) at Mona, in Kingston; St. Joseph's, in Kingston and Mandeville Regional, in Manchester. The dialysis centres at these three hospitals are managed by Nephrologist,...

KINGSTON — Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Hon Olivia Grange, is encouraging individuals to engage in healthier lifestyle practices by promoting physical activities. Whilst endorsing Welch’s Heart Health Fund Run planned for Sunday (November 27), Miss Grange noted that a healthy lifestyle can reduce incidences of non-communicable diseases, while assisting in relieving stress and increasing productivity. She was speaking...

MONTEGO BAY — The Savanna-la-Mar Hospital, in Westmoreland, is set to undergo major improvements soon, through the implementation of several projects at the facility. Addressing a fund-raising dinner hosted by Friends of the Savanna-la-Mar Public Hospital, in the town, recently, Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer, gave details of the projects to be undertaken. He said that approximately $5 million...