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Delivery of free eye care to the elderly in Portland and St. Thomas will be significantly enhanced, through eye screening clinics to be carried out by the Voluntary Optometric Services for Humanity (VOSH) in some communities. The first clinic will begin on Saturday (February 5) at the Anglican Church Christian Education Centre, Port Antonio, and will continue at the same...

The House of Representatives, on Tuesday February 1, passed the Health and Allied Professions and Services Miscellaneous Penalty Provisions Bill (2010), which, among other things, provides for an increase in fines for persons who provide medical and support services without proper registration. Health Minister, Hon. Rudyard Spencer, who piloted the bill, pointed out that the penalties for violating the provisions...

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)-supported 'Bashy Bus' HIV prevention project has been extended to  St. Ann, with the handing over of a mobile unit to the St. Ann Health Department on Thursday January 27. The project, which is being carried out by the St. Catherine-based non-governmental organization, Children First, with support from the Ministry of Health through the National...

As the Government expands facilities for renal dialysis, to make the service more accessible, focus is being placed on training in nephrology, with 13 nurses and three tutors already in Cuba. In addition, 22 dialysis technicians are also in training, as a result of a partnership between the Ministry of Health and the University of Technology (UTech). “During the period...

Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer has said that Government’s no user fee policy was a step in the right direction, as this was directly responsible for the increased access to health services for persons suffering from lifestyle and other illnesses “Since we abolished fees on April 1, 2008 visits to health centres increased by 16.3 per cent in the...

The National Works Agency (NWA) has commenced work on a protective wall in the vicinity of the Black River Hospital in St. Elizabeth. The wall which is being built on the sea-side of the hospital, comes against the background of significant damage by wave action, resulting in the parish’s premier health facility being threatened. Manager of Communication and Customer Services...

Cabinet has approved two contracts valued at $222,653, 782.27 for the procurement of antiretroviral drugs for the treatment of HIV. One contract in the sum of $174, 488,848 has been awarded to Matrix Laboratories Limited and the other,valued at $48,164,934. 27,to Ranbaxy Laboratory. Minister with responsibility for Information, Telecommunications and Special Projects, Hon. Daryl Vaz, peaking at today’s (January 26)...

Residents of Central Jamaica, who are in need of renal treatment, will no longer have to travel long distances to access the service. This, as the Government has opened a dialysis treatment facility at the Mandeville Regional Hospital in Manchester. Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer, who officially opened the $24 million facility on Wednesday (January 19), said it will...

Recalling his two episodes as a patient of the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH), Prime Minister Bruce Golding said that there was nothing as important to a hospital as the people giving care. He was delivering remarks at the opening ceremony of the $141 million MRI unit at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) on January 20. "Equipment is vital to hospitals...

Several new measures are to be implemented at the Bellevue Hospital to ensure that the facility provides the most effective service and care to its patients. Chairman of the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA), Lyttleton Shirley, said that among the measures are: the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer and board of management; improvement in infrastructure to ensure...

The Jamaica/Cuba Eye Care Programme will be conducting screening sessions in the parishes of St. Catherine, Clarendon and Portland. Screening will take place from January 24 – 28, 2011.  The sessions will begin at 8:30 a.m. each day. SCREENING SCHEDULE: JANUARY 24-28, 2011 DATE FACILITY ST. CATHERINE Monday, January 24, 2011 Greater Portmore Health Centre   Thursday, January 27, 2011...

A team of 35 Cuban nurses arrived in the island on January 12 to take up various positions within the health sector. The nurses, specialising in paediatrics, neonatal, and intensive care, as well as operating theatre and eye care nurses, are to be deployed in the primary health care system across the four regional authorities. Speaking at a welcoming ceremony...