The Ministry of Health and Wellness is awaiting the final report from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on the discovery of a cluster of Klebsiella pneumoniae infections at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital (VJH) in Kingston. Portfolio Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, made the disclosure during the House of Representatives’ sitting on Tuesday (November 1). Klebsiella pneumoniae is a...

While breast cancer is most often found in women, local health officials are warning that men are also susceptible to the disease. Health officials say even though the illness is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women, where it has alarmingly worsened from 56.8 to 66.9 per 100,000 women over the years, men, too, need to be cognisant of...

President of the Jamaica Association of Public Health Inspectors (JAPHI), Michael Myles, has hailed practitioners for their resilience and commitment in safeguarding environmental health in Jamaica, particularly during COVID-19. Speaking at the association’s 76th annual educational conference at the Ocean Coral Spring Resort in Trelawny on October 25, Mr. Myles described the professionals as “vanguards of public health” who continue...

Approximately $30 million will be spent to upgrade and renovate the Malvern Health Centre in St. Elizabeth. Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and Member of Parliament, St. Elizabeth South Eastern, Hon. Franklin Witter, made the disclosure during his contribution to the State of the Constituency Debate in the House of Representatives on October 26. He...

The country’s efforts against HIV/AIDS have been boosted through the opening of a new care facility at the Kingston Public Hospital on Tuesday (October 25). Valued at more than J$9 million, the facility is a donation of three retrofitted 20-foot containers made possible by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), through the President’s Emergency Plan for...

Just over $1 billion has been budgeted for the Code Care programme, which is aimed at clearing the backlog of elective surgeries in hospitals. Of the total, $80 million is to be spent on rehabilitating operating theatres in the public health system; $200 million for the private-public partnership; $223 million for equipment; $279 million for nursing missions, and $153 million...

Hundreds of residents of central Jamaica have benefited from free cataract surgeries, which were performed at the Mandeville Regional Hospital in Manchester between October 22 and 24. A total of 486 procedures were done by a team of doctors from the United States (US) as part of the sixth Cataract Camp Mission to Jamaica, which is organised by Florida-based diaspora...