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KINGSTON — The mandatory registration of fathers on children's birth certificates has been an outstanding issue since the 1970s, although attempts have been made throughout the years to address the matter, including expanding the provisions for the registration of fathers. These efforts include: the 1976 introduction of a companion measure to the Status of Children Act to expand the categories...

KINGSTON — Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer, says with the world population reaching seven billion persons on October 31, equal opportunities must be created for all, in particular Jamaica’s youth and elderly. These are deemed the larger groups in the world, as youth 24 years or younger make up more than half of the world's population, while the ageing...

KINGSTON — Jamaica compares favourably with the rest of the world in improved infant mortality, life expectancy and fertility rates. This was disclosed by Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer, in a message read by the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Eva Lewis-Fuller, during the launch of the World Population Report (2011) -‘The World at 7 billion’ - at the Victoria...

MONTEGO BAY — Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer, said the programme to rehabilitate health centres across the island is going well. He informed that 48 of the 56 targeted facilities have been upgraded to date with adequate staff put in place. “Importantly, what we have now in those health centres is a doctor, we have a nurse, we have...

The Government is making headway in restoring the Essential National Health Research Committee, to help guide health research in priority areas. Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer, made the disclosure in a message to the National Health Research Conference in Kingston, Thursday (October 27), read by Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Eva Lewis Fuller. The committee, which has been defunct for...

KINGSTON — Hundreds of students at the Pembroke Hall Primary School in Kingston have been given access to free eye screening services, to ensure that sight related defects are treated from the earliest onset. The screenings, which began on October 26 and ended on October 27, was made possible through the Lions Club of Kingston and the Canadian High Commission,...

MONTEGO BAY — Every October, a team of medical professionals from Atlanta in the United States close their private practice or take leave from their jobs, and head for the sunny shores of Jamaica for a few days. They do not come to the island for fun and relaxation; instead, they are volunteering their time and skills to treating less...

KINGSTON — The Ministry of Health is intensifying its health promotion campaign, by focusing on safe motherhood to achieve a maternal mortality rate of 27 per 100,000 live births by 2015. Safe motherhood is the ability of a woman to undertake pregnancy and childbirth without harming herself or her child. The purpose of the initiative is to promote and protect...

KINGSTON — A call has been made for businesses to set up employee assistance programmes (EAP), which will provide confidential mental health support for workers. Director of the Public Sector Employee Assistance Programme (PSEAP) in the Office of the Cabinet, Doreen Grossett, made the appeal while addressing a recent mental health symposium at the Alhambra Inn hotel in Kingston. She...

KINGSTON — There has been a push by Government to improve the availability and accessibility to mental health services, with small and other health facilities offering support to persons with the illness. According to Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer, services to mental health patients have been integrated into general health services. “These services are now offered at 139 locations,...

KINGSTON — Ground was broken for construction of the Centre of Excellence at the May Pen Hospital in Clarendon, on Tuesday (October 11). The centre will house a dialysis treatment facility, which will be called The Beverly Nichols Dialysis Centre, in honour of Mrs. Nichols’ financial contribution to its construction. The Centre will also consist of administrative offices, cafeteria, conference...

KINGSTON — Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Marlene Malahoo-Forte, says increased collaboration and partnerships among members of the Jamaican Diaspora and the Government is critical to improving the quality of local health care. “There is a genuine need for improved healthcare in Jamaica but, unfortunately, at this time the Government is not...