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Mayor of Port Antonio, Councillor Floyd Patterson, has called on the relevant authorities to look into the re-establishment of the Buff Bay Hospital in Portland. He said the restoration of a full-scale hospital facility in that town would greatly enhance the ability to save lives in the event of a major disaster. Mayor Patterson was addressing a debriefing session following...

Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer, on Friday February 18 officially opened the upgraded Frankfield Health Centre in Clarendon, which will serve residents in some 78 communities. The facility, which now has additional staff, was completed at a cost of $7.5 million under the National Health Fund’s (NHF) Health Centre Rehabilitation Programme. The scope of work included expansion of the...

As part of the Health Ministry's emphasis on primary health care, seven point five million dollars has been spent to rehabilitate the Frankfield Health Centre in Clarendon. The Health Centre was officially reopened this morning by Health Minister, Hon. Rudyard Spencer.  Minister Spencer says the government remains committed to providing universal access to health care "which we are striving for...

Scores of residents of Free Hill, St. Mary, received treatment for various illnesses on Wednesday (February16), at a clinic organized through the efforts of Rotary Clubs in Jamaica and the United States of America. The clinic, held at the Free Hill United Church, was sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Ocho Rios and St. Mary in Jamaica, in partnership with...

The Ministry of Health has confirmed three imported cases of malaria among members of the Haitian under 7 football1 team who are in the island to participate in CONCACAF. The persons are currently being treated. Other members are displaying symptoms of the illness and are also being treated. The Ministry has recommended that in the circumstances they do not participate in...

The Senate approved a Bill empowering the Minister of Health to increase penalties for breaching provisions of legislation relating to certain health and allied professions and services, on Friday February 11. The penalties have remained unchanged for decades, and are not considered serious deterrent to non-compliance with the provisions of the various Acts any more. The Bill,the Health and Allied...

Senior Medical Officer (SMO) at the St. Ann’s Bay Hospital, Nicole Dawkins, is commending the Ministry of Health for taking steps to repair biomedical equipment at the facility. She told JIS News that the hospital is heavily dependent on biomedical equipment to carry out a lot of its functions and when they malfunction, service delivery is affected. “One of the...

Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer is making an urgent appeal for persons to discontinue engaging in risky sexual behaviour and protect themselves and their partner at all times. Minister Spencer was speaking against the background of the observance of Safe Sex week from now until February 14, 2011 under the theme “Protect your love, use a glove”.   In...

“Protect Your Love, Use a Glove” “Protect your love, use a glove” is the theme for this year’s observance of Safer Sex Week. The number of HIV/AIDS cases reported per year increased by 21% between 1999 (1436 cases) and 2009 (1738 cases). This situation is exacerbated by high incidences of multiple partnerships and low condom usage.  Persons continue to engage...

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...