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Enrollment in the National Health Fund (NHF) for 2008/09 increased by 16 per cent over the previous year, with the number of beneficiaries currently at 404,615, Health Minister, Hon. Rudyard Spencer, has announced. Making his presentation in the 2009/10 Sectoral Debate in the House, on July 15, Mr. Spencer said the number of new beneficiaries securing NHF cards was 35,947,...

The Ministry of Health is considering a proposal from the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) to abolish user fees for children, up to the age of 12 years, who use that institution. Portfolio Minister, Hon. Ruddy Spencer, said this has become necessary, as a study conducted after the abolition of user fees in public hospitals on April 1,...

There is a commitment of $100 million by the Government this year, to continue the programme of reclamation of mined out lands in St. Ann. This was stated by Prime Minister the Hon. Bruce Golding at a Town Hall meeting, held yesterday (July 15) at the Ocho Rios High School, in the parish. The Prime Minister was responding to a...

Labour and Social Security Minister, Hon. Pearnel Charles, has said that the proposed Occupational Safety and Health Act will protect the welfare of workers and safeguard businesses by ensuring that employers put the necessary health and safety measures in place. "The legislation will be very strong. Health, safety, and security at the workplace will be guarded by (this) legislation," the...

Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer, makes his Sectoral Debate presentation on Wednesday (July 15) in Parliament. Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. J.C. Hutchinson, will be the other Government speaker. Opposition Members of Parliament, Dr. Peter Phillips (East Central St. Andrew) and Michael Peart (Southern Manchester) will also make their contributions. The Sectoral Debate...

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Sheila Campbell-Forrester, says special attention must be paid to women's welfare during this period of financial crisis. She insists that this must be so, because when a country faces financial difficulties, women tend to fare worse than men. "They tend to face more job cuts, girls are generally the ones...

Director of Emergency Disaster Management and Special Services in the Ministry of Health (MOH), Dr. Marion Bullock DuCasse, has expressed satisfaction with the high priority that some employers have been giving to the Influenza A H1N1 situation. Speaking at a recent JIS Think Thank session, Dr. Bullock DuCasse said that, based on prior conversations, many employers have indicated that they...

The St. Ann branch of the Jamaica Red Cross is the beneficiary of a refurbished ambulance, courtesy of St. Ann Jamaica Bauxite Partners (SAJBP). The unit was officially handed over to the branch on July 13, at a ceremony held at the SAJBP in Discovery Bay. "We believe that healthcare is essential and it is of paramount importance in Jamaica,...

Director of Emergency Disaster Management and Special Services in the Ministry of Health (MOH), Dr. Marion Bullock DuCasse, is appealing to organisers of summer activities to ensure that children, who display flu-like symptoms, are sent home. Speaking at a JIS Think Tank on July 10, Dr. Bullock DuCasse said that due to the highly contagious nature of the Influenza A...

Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer, and senior officials of the Ministry, on Friday afternoon (July 10), briefed Prime Minister the Hon. Bruce Golding on the current situation relating to the Influenza A (H1N1) virus. According to the Ministry of Health, the meeting took place in light of the second recorded death in Jamaica associated with the virus. The person,...

The Hanover Health Department is taking a proactive approach, including increasing surveillance, to prevent the Influenza A (HINI) virus from spreading to the parish. Hanover remains one of the parishes unaffected by the virus with no confirmed cases to date. Addressing the monthly meeting of the Hanover Parish Council in Lucea on July 9, Acting Medical Officer of Health for...

The Hanover Health Department will be carrying out vector control activities, as it moves to contain the increase in the mosquito population, resulting from the high levels of rainfall in the parish since the start of the hurricane season in June. "It is a situation that affects us as a population in different communities", said Acting Medical Officer of Health...