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Jamaica is expected to have an Occupational Safety and Health Act by the end of the first quarter of 2013. Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Derrick Kellier, said the Government will fast track passage of the legislation in Parliament, once review of the draft Bill, which is with the office of the Parliamentary Counsel, is completed. Speaking at...

Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, is appealing to all sexually active Jamaicans to take the necessary precautions to protect themselves and their partners from HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). “Once unsafe sex is practised you are at risk for contracting a sexually transmitted infection,” the Minister said Wednesday April 25th as he addressed the Communication for...

Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, says that Jamaica has made significant strides towards attaining universal immunisation coverage for all children, with 100 per cent coverage of tuberculosis (BCG) last year. Also in 2011, the country achieved 92 per cent coverage for polio, diphtheria, pertussis or whooping cough and tetanus (DPT), hepatitis B and haemophilus influenza type B (HIB),...

Within his first 100 days in office, Health Minister, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, signalled his intention to pursue institutional and legislative strengthening of the country’s public health system, by engaging in a number of activities. In January, the Ministry handed over six vehicles, valued approximately $12 million to the four regional authorities, as part of efforts to enhance the Vector...

The competencies of 40 community health aides (CHAs) have been significantly enhanced with their successful completion of the Ministry of Health’s training/certification programme. Implemented at a cost of over $8 million, the project sought to improve the CHA’s contribution to the nation’s primary health care system. Sixteen assessors/trainers also completed the programme. The participants were presented with their certificates on...

A private sector initiative to construct a hospital in the Negril area, of Westmoreland, has received the nod of approval from Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, with a commitment for the full support of the Government. Named, ‘the Negril International Hospital (NIH) Wellness Centre’, construction on the proposed facility is expected to begin later this year, at...

Health care workers will be visiting schools across the island to administer vaccines, especially Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) shots, to those children , who are not adequately immunised, during Vaccination Week from April 21 to 28. The week is being observed by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) under the theme: ‘For you,...

Positive health interventions have resulted in a lengthening of the life-span of our population. Life expectancy at birth in the 1940s was 52.9; today it is 71.5 for males and 75 for females in an ageing population that is growing at a faster pace than the other segments of the population. It is fitting that the theme for World Health...

The inaugural staging of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority’s (RADA) Wellness Day 2012, which featured free eye tests, cholesterol and blood pressure checks, took place on April 11 on the lawns of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries offices, in Kingston. The event was intended to promote wellness and healthy lifestyle practices among the nation’s citizenry, and specifically targeted RADA...

The National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA) has been working through partnerships with schools, communities, churches and corporate organisations, in an effort to promote healthy lifestyles among children, adolescents and adults. As part of its mandate, the Council has the responsibility of implementing innovative programmes that promote and enable the prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and resocialisation of individuals affected by drug...

A total of 21 grant awards amounting to approximately $11 million (US$120,000), were on April 4 handed over by the American Friends of Jamaica (AFJ) to several organisations that undertake projects in the areas of education, healthcare and economic development.  Among the grant recipients were: the Cornwall Regional Hospital Pediatric Ward; Eye Health Institute; Missionaries of the Poor; Rose Town...

The Government is looking at constructing a children’s hospital in the western end of the island, and is inviting partners in the undertaking. Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, said the project is a major priority for the government as part of its plans for improvements within the health sector. The Minister, who was addressing the American Friends of...