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Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Sheila Campbell-Forrester, has said that Jamaica's policies relating to the administration of drugs may have to be adjusted to allow greater flexibility in the use of opioids for treating chronic diseases. Opioids are a class of drugs commonly prescribed for their analgesic (pain-killing) properties, and used in medicine because they can block the perception of...

The Hanover Health Department has joined in the call to residents to refrain from playing or swimming in bodies of stagnant water, while highlighting the fact that several types of infectious diseases can be picked up through the practice. According to Public Health Inspector in the Hanover Health Department, Lloyd Stewart, the concerns have been heightened by the increased sightings...

Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer, says the Government is continuing efforts to deal with any threat of cholera, and is holding talks with the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) to obtain support in the national drive. Addressing a groundbreaking ceremony to upgrade the Rocky Point Fishing Beach, in Clarendon, on November 10, the Minister emphasised that communities must joint...

Government's commitment to the expansion and sustainability of Jamaica's sugar industry has been underscored by Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Hon. Dr. Christopher Tufton. Giving the main address at the 73rd Annual Conference of the Jamaica Association of Sugar Technologist (JAST), at the Sunset Jamaica Grande Resort, Ocho Rios on Thursday (November 11), Dr. Tufton said the commitment was based...

As part of efforts to stem the growing incidences of diabetes, the Ministry of Health is expanding its prevention education activities by increasing screening and outreach sites across Jamaica. According to Medical Epidemiologist in the Chronic Diseases and Injuries Unit of the Ministry, Dr. Tamu Davidson-Saddler, this approach, paired with improved quality of care for those already living with the...

Monex, the facility which repairs and produces prosthetic limbs at the Sir John Golding Rehabilitation Centre will reopen this afternoon after the intervention of Health Minister, Hon. Rudyard Spencer. Minister Spencer this afternoon met with Senator Mark Golding, officials from the South East Regional Health Authority and the Ministry of Health to discuss the issue of the recent closure of...

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Sheila Campbell-Forrester, says countries will have to pay more attention to protecting their borders against health threats, with the emergence of new diseases and the resurfacing of others previously considered eradicated. She was speaking at the opening of the Faculty of Medical Sciences' Annual Research Conference and Workshop, at the...

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...