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It is said that "age is nothing but a number" and the country's elders certainly proved that last month, when some 300 of them demonstrated their prowess on the track, at the National Senior Citizens Sports Day held at the Mona Bowl of the University of the West Indies. For those who were limited in the talent department, they made...

Jamaicans in South Florida have launched a scholarship fund in honour of late cultural icon, Louise Bennett-Coverley (Miss Lou). Norma Darby, Director of the Florida-based folklore group, the Jamaica Folk Revue made the announcement at a community cultural tribute held recently in North Miami, to celebrate the birthday, life and legacy of the late cultural icon. She explained that the...

The Ministry of Health this morning today (Sept. 15) launched an HIV anti-stigma campaign, which is aimed at reducing the discrimination that is associated with the disease. The campaign dubbed: 'Getting on with Life' will involve the use of television and radio advertisements, posters and billboards, to combat discrimination. Two HIV-positive Jamaicans, Annesha Taylor and Ainsley Reid, have bravely come...

Prime Minister, Portia Simpson Miller, has said that the government was committed to improving the quality of life of senior citizens, and had developed the necessary support mechanisms in this effort. These, she said, included increased benefits under the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), the National Health Fund (NHF), the Programme of Advancement through Health and Education (PATH), among others. The...

Come tomorrow (Saturday, September 16), the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) will be spearheading clean-up activities along the Half-Moon Bay Coast in Hellshire, St. Catherine and the Rio Grande in Portland, in observance of International Coastal Clean-up Day. Globally, it is expected that thousands of volunteers from some 130 nations will collect debris from lakes, rivers and coastlines in...

Children's Advocate, Mary Clarke, has charged senior citizens to play a greater role in ensuring that the rights of the nation's children were promoted and enforced. Mrs. Clarke, who was speaking at the St. Andrew Senior Citizens Club parish awards ceremony held yesterday (Sept.14) at St. Mary's the Virgin Anglican Church on Molynes Road, noted that, "children have the right...

The St. Elizabeth Parish Disaster Committee will be embarking on a series of public education meetings aimed at sensitising residents about the need to prepare for disasters. "I will be working with a special team made up of members from a number of our support agencies such as the Jamaica Fire Brigade and we hope to begin by early next...

The services of the Clarendon Fire Department has seen boosted with the acquisition of a new fire truck valued at some $18.5 million (US$285,000), while 10 new firefighters have been added to the staff. Errol Hope, Deputy Superintendent in charge of the Department, told JIS News that the truck has "all the modern day features". These, he said, included "lighting,...

The government of Jamaica will be expending millions of dollars this fiscal year to refurbish hospitals, health centres, laboratories and training institutions. Minister of Health, Horace Dalley, who made the announcement in his contribution to the 2006/07 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on September 12, informed that the Falmouth hospital in Trelawny would be refurbished at some $155...

For this fiscal year, the National HIV/AIDS Control Programme will be aiming to improve the way in which it can prevent the spread of the HIV virus among the most vulnerable in the society. "We need to significantly expand the coverage and improve the quality of our prevention interventions among vulnerable populations and the youth," states a Ministry Paper, which...

Jamaicans living with the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) are being encouraged to take advantage of the anti retroviral (ARV) drugs, which the government readily provides for all persons afflicted with the disease. "Some people are afraid to go for it.I am saying to you if you are out there living with AIDS, don't stay at home and die, the...

Minister of Health, Horace Dalley has disclosed that a study is currently being undertaken by the Public Sector Reform Unit (PSRU), to review the system of decentralisation, in order to effect improvements in the Ministry by next year. Addressing the House of Representatives on September 14, Minister Dalley detailed a number of human resource management initiatives, which the Health Ministry...