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Jamaica has moved closer to achieving universal immunization, having achieved over 90 per cent coverage in Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) and BCG (against tuberculosis) vaccination last year. Minister of Health, Hon Rudyard Spencer, said it was an "outstanding achievement" given the environment of declining budgets, during his presentation in the 2010/11 Sectoral Debate in Parliament, Tuesday (September 21). He noted that Jamaica...

Minister of Health, Hon Rudyard Spencer, says Cabinet will re-examine the policy framework shaping the ministry's strategic plan for mental health, shortly. He made the announcement in the House of Representatives Tuesday (September 21), during his contribution to the 2010/11 Sectoral Debate. The Health Minister noted that a significant number of patients at the Bellevue Hospital, Jamaica's main mental institution...

The Ministry of Health (MOH) is to develop a comprehensive policy framework for health promotion, given the rise and impact of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Jamaica. Minister of Health, Hon Rudyard Spencer Making his contribution to the 2010/11 Sectoral Debate in Parliament Tuesday (September 21), Minister of Health, Hon Rudyard Spencer, announced that he has instructed ministry technocrats to include...

Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer says the breastfeeding campaign must be revitalised, so as to meet the national target of raising the number of mothers who give their children the breast at an early stage. "This is the way forward to improve our breastfeeding rates and in that same vein, ensure that our children are being provided with the...

Residents of the Hanover Infirmary are to benefit from new and improved residential amenities. The new facility, which will be built at a cost of $27.2 million, will provide accommodation for 40 persons. Speaking at the contract signing ceremony at the Department of Local Government offices, in Kingston, on September 20, Minister of State with responsibility for Local Government, Robert...

A 3-month Dengue public education campaign will begin on Wednesday, September 22, at the Port Antonio Town Square, Portland. It is aimed at sensitising residents of the parish to the importance of eradicating mosquito infestation in their communities, and building awareness about the signs and symptoms of the disease. It is being organised by the Portland Health Services, in collaboration...

Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer will be opening the social policy section of the sectoral debate in parliament on Tuesday, September 21, 2010. In his opening presentation, Minister Spencer will be examining the broad social policy framework of the country. Speaking under the theme: 'Positioning for Growth: The National Health Agenda', the Minister's presentation will cover a number of...

Women's healthcare has been given a boost, with Tuesday's (September 14) groundbreaking for the Queen Sophia of Spain Women's Centre, at the Spanish Town Hospital, St. Catherine. The centre is expected to improve access to care and broaden the range of services available to women in the communities served by the hospital. The project involves the construction of a two-storey...

The Atlanta-Montego Bay Sister City Foundation will stage its 17th annual health mission to Montego Bay from October 4 to 7. Chairman of the Atlanta-Montego Bay Sister City Health Mission, Vin Martin, told JIS News that more than 40,000 patients in St. James and neighbouring parishes have been served over the years, with approximately $38 million in medical supplies donated....

The prevalence of HIV and AIDS has been stabilized in the Caribbean, with many countries of the region experiencing a decline in the number of cases. Director of Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), Carl Browne, credits his ten-year-old organization, and the support it has received from regional governments, for the achievement. "We can go back to 2001,...

Against the background of a decline in grants funding for the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), Grenada's Minister of Health and Chair of the Regional Coordinating Mechanism (RCM) of PANCAP, Senator the Hon Ann Peters, wants Caribbean nations to assert their toughness and collectively work for a resolution to the problem. She mentioned the global financial crisis,...

The Ministry of Health is projecting significant savings, should all the Public Sector Transformation Unit's (PSTU) recommendations for the restructuring of the Ministry, be implemented. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Jean Dixon, today (September 8), told a meeting of Parliament's Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC), at Gordon House, that the Government would save approximately $50 million annually, just...