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The Senate is expected to give its approval to a Bill amending the National Health Fund (NHF) Act, to make the Fund responsible for procuring, warehousing and distributing medical supplies for Government-owned health facilities, when it meets on Friday (November 12). Minister of Health, the Hon Rudyard Spencer, negotiated the Bill through the House of Representatives, where it was approved...

Eighty seven year-old retired Hospital Attendant at the Savanna-La-Mar Public General Hospital, Inez Collins-Petgrave, who lives in the Westmoreland town, is well known for her selfless, loving and caring attitude as someone who will consistently go out of her way to give good advice and render assistance to persons around her. Some 53 years ago, she performed a heroic deed...

The Health Corporation Limited (HCL) is to be merged with the state-run entity, the National Health Fund (NHF). This was announced by Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer, yesterday (November 9), when he piloted a Bill in the House to amend the NHF Act, to effect the change. Mr. Spencer said the integration of aspects of the HCL into the...

The Health Corporation Limited (HCL), Government drugs procurement agency, has signed nine contracts with suppliers to provide medical sundries to the public health sector, costing $279 million. The 18-month contracts cover some 142 items on the Ministry's Vital, Essential and Necessary (VEN) list, including gloves, gauze, cotton, catheters and injection needles. The contracts were signed at the Jamaica Conference Centre,...

Vice President of the Jamaica Midlife Health Society, Dr. Fay Whitbourne, has advocated increased diabetes testing, to control the disease. Her call, which has come as the nation prepares to observe National Diabetes Week, November 7 to 14, under the theme, "Understanding Diabetes, Taking Control", was made Wednesday (November 3) at a JIS Think Tank in Kingston. Dr. Whitbourne noted...

The Ministry of Health continues to intensify all priority activities for cholera preparedness, prevention and response to ensure that the country remains cholera-free in light of the recent outbreak in neighbouring Haiti. Director of Emergency Services, Dr. Marion Bullock DuCasse, told journalists at the weekly post-Cabinet press briefing on Wednesday (November 3) that the Ministry will remain persistent in implementing...

The Ministry of Health continues to intensify all priority activities for cholera preparedness, prevention and response to ensure that the country remains cholera-free in light of the recent outbreak in neighbouring Haiti. Director of Emergency Services, Dr. Marion Bullock DuCasse, told journalists at the weekly post-Cabinet press briefing on Wednesday (November 3) that the Ministry will remain persistent in implementing...

Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer, has called on private sector partners to assist the Government's programme to promote healthy lifestyle among Jamaicans. He was delivering the keynote address at a wellness exposition hosted by Jamalco on November 4, at the company's plant in Hayes, Clarendon. Mr. Spencer said that while the Southern Regional Health Authority (SERA), in which Clarendon...

With statistics showing that more teens are abusing drugs, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Jean Dixon, says that a wide ranging public education campaign, targeting the age group, must be undertaken to increase awareness on the ills of drug abuse. "I foresee an anti-drug campaign that targets parents, teens and the society at large that is open...

As part of Government's efforts to better maintain equipment utilised by the health sector, Cuban technicians are to assist the country in this regard, Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer, has announced. This follows a bi-lateral agreement between Jamaica and Cuba, which comes into effect July next year and will involve the enhancement of Jamaica's capacity in bio-medical engineering. Speaking...

Residents of Portland are being urged to be proactive against mosquito infestation in their communities, to prevent the spread of dengue fever. The call came from Vector Control Inspector at Portland Health Services, Carlton Blake, while addressing a dengue public education meeting in Prospect, Port Antonio, on Thursday (October 28). Mr. Blake said that even as fogging activities continue in...

Taking care of your oral health isn't just about a pretty smile. It has implications for overall health and is, therefore, a significant public health problem. One common dental condition that quietly affects Jamaicans and persons the world over is gingivitis. Director of Dental Health Services in the Ministry of Health (MoH), Dr. Irving McKenzie, explains this condition as "inflammation...