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KINGSTON — The first members of a Cuban biomedical engineering team to restore well-needed medical equipment in the public health system, have arrived in Jamaica. Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer, told a briefing at the ministry, downtown Kingston on Friday (July 29) that the Biomedical Agreement between Jamaica and the Cuban Government will last for a period of two...

KINGSTON — Acting Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in Jamaica, Dr. Hugo Prado, has attributed severe health challenges occurring in some countries, to weak and ineffective information support systems. However, he said that some countries may be unable to implement effective systems, because they are too poor to afford it. Speaking at the opening of a...

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Jean Dixon, has underscored the importance of having an effective and robust information system that will support the management of health service delivery in Jamaica. Speaking at the opening of a three-day National Health Information System assessment workshop today (July 26) at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston, she argued that, against...

KINGSTON — The Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) officially handed over a $1.8 million solar lighting system to the Maxfield Park Health Centre, Kingston, which should help the institution save some $300,000, or 9.4 mega-watts per hour (MWh), annually. Under the energy conservation initiative, the PCJ has replaced the facility’s outdoor mercury vapour yard lamps and halogen globe lamps in...

KINGSTON — The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, opened its newly constructed state-of-the art CHASE Carnegie Skills Laboratory, for the training of medical students and residents in a modern setting, on Thursday July 21. The facility, the first of its kind in the Caribbean, was constructed and equipped at a cost of some $35 million by the Department...

MONTEGO BAY — Over $7 million will be spent to rehabilitate the Moneague Health Centre in St. Ann, which serves more than 10,000 persons from that area, and surrounding communities. The health centre, which is now closed to facilitate repair work, is currently operating out of the Moneague Community Centre. Chief Health Inspector at the St. Ann Health Department, Leroy...

KINGSTON — The Registrar Generals Department (RGD) is to launch an islandwide series of consultations with stakeholders in the collection of civil registry data. This was disclosed by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the department, Dr. Patricia Holness, who told JIS News that the series of meetings would begin on July 18. The idea behind the campaign is to standardize...

KINGSTON — The Registrar General's Department (RGD) is to implement an online verification process as it looks to cut down on records fraud. The agency’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Patricia Holness, said that the software has been written and testing is currently underway. She indicated that the necessary security features will be put in place to protect against fraud. “Our...

The Government of Spain, through its Agency for International Development Co-operation (AECID), has donated some $11.2 million worth of medical equipment and furniture to the Spanish Town Hospital, in St. Catherine. The donation will go to the hospital’s King of Spain Wing, and include over 250 pieces of equipment, supplies and furniture for the Physiotherapy Department and the Surgical Ward....

Director of the National STI/HIV Programme, Dr. Kevin Harvey, is encouraging regional health institutions to play a pivotal role in ensuring access to healthy foods, while reducing the incidence of non-communicable diseases. “Having regard to the inextricable link between nutrition and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), our regional health institutions must reposition to take advantage of what could be the biggest decade...

KINGSTON — United States Global AIDS Co-ordinator, Ambassador Eric Goosby, has commended the Government of Jamaica for the priority it has placed on combatingthe spread of HIV/AIDS in the country, through its national programme. "In Jamaica, I know the Ministry of Health has spearheaded an aggressive response through the National HIV/(STI) Programme," the Ambassador said as he addressed the launching...

MONTEGO BAY — Expectant mothers who use the services of the Savanna-la-Mar general hospital in Westmoreland are expected to benefit from a refurbished maternity ward at the facility. The unit, renovated at a cost of some $5.5 million, was officially opened by the Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer, on July 7, 2011. “The renovation of the labour and delivery...