Roundabout JA

Some 73 surgeries were conducted during the recently concluded nine day mission stop of the USNS Comfort Hospital Ship to Jamaica. Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy in Kingston John McIntyre says scores of persons also turned up daily at Sabina Park and the Greater Portmore Health Centre where the Comfort team provided dental, optometry, dermatology, family medicine, women’s health, paediatrics and physical therapy services. Listen to RAJA to learn more.

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The 2019 staging of the Global Leadership Summit GLS, being held under the theme ‘Inspire, Transform, Influence’ will host more than 500 professionals and business leaders. The annual conference which got started on October 25 is slated to wrap up on November 7 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St. James. Listen to RAJA to learn more about this event. 

 

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Patients at public hospitals are now accessing diagnostic radiology services from private service providers. A framework agreement for the initiative was signed on September 25 and came into effect on October 7. Patients can access CT and MRI scans, ultrasounds, Endoscopy, Fluoroscopy, Mammography and X-rays. Listen to RAJA to learn more.

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The National Education Trust NET, in collaboration with the Embassy of Japan, has successfully completed upgrades to the Fair Prospect Primary School, in Eastern Portland. The project saw two new classrooms being erected and the replacement of windows at the school with the work valued at approximately 11 million dollars. Listen to RAJA to learn more about this initiative.  

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The St. Elizabeth Fire Division commemorated 85 years of service to the parish with an open house at the Black River Fire Station. The event also coincided with the Jamaica Fire Brigade’s JFB National Fire Safety Awareness Week, being observed under the theme ‘Mek Wi Fix It – Community First’. Listen to RAJA to learn more.

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The plastic recycling pilot project launched in Rae Town, Kingston, will seek to reduce the volume of waste entering the harbour, and provide income-generating opportunities for community members. The two-year project is being implemented by the National Solid Waste Management Authority NSWMA and funded by the Japanese Government through the United Nations Environment Programme UNEP. Listen today’s edition of RAJA to learn more.

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Minister of Science, Energy and Technology, Fayval Williams, is calling on Jamaicans, especially women, to take the necessary precautions to try to detect breast cancer in its early stages. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among Jamaican women, however the Minister is reiterating that early detection is key to having the best chance of survival. Listen to RAJA to learn more.

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Hundreds of Jamaicans are expected to benefit from the nine-day medical mission of the United States US Navy Hospital Ship USNS Comfort from October 28 to November 1. The ship, which is visiting Jamaica for its third mission, is currently docked at Victoria pier, downtown Kingston and is expected to see 150 surgeries performed onboard. The surgeries will span the areas of ophthalmology, orthopedic, oral maxillofacial, wound care, urology, and plastic and general surgery. Listen to RAJA to learn more about this initiative. 

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Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. Christopher Tufton, is appealing for Jamaicans to take a more proactive approach in the fight against dengue. The minister’s call comes in light of growing environmental factors, which will result in mosquito-borne diseases becoming more frequent and aggressive. Listen to this edition of RAJA to learn more. 

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Ground has been broken for the Western Children and Adolescents Hospital on the compound of the Cornwall Regional Hospital in St. James. The facility is a gift from the People’s Republic of China and will offer specialist medical care to persons up to 18 years of age. Listen to RAJA to learn more.

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The Ministry of Health and Wellness has spent 18 million dollars to acquire 200 new hospital reclining chairs, to be distributed among hospitals across the island. Procuring the chairs is part of the ministry’s efforts to reduce overcrowding in Accident and Emergency Departments, and to offer more comfort to patients while they wait. Stay tuned to Round About Ja to learn more. 

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Thirty more schools will benefit from rainwater harvesting systems to be installed by Rural Water Supply Limited RWSL by the end of the 2019/20 fiscal year. The agency recently commissioned into service systems installed at Rock Hall All Age School in St. Andrew, and Enid Bennett High School in St. Catherine. Listen to today’s Round About Ja to learn more.

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Hundreds of residents across St. James recently benefited from free dental services during an oral health workshop held in Sam Sharpe Square, Montego Bay on Saturday October 19. The event was organized by St. James Public Health Services in partnership with the Colgate-Palmolive Company Jamaica Limited as part of Oral Health Month. Listen to this edition of RAJA to learn more.  

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By the end of December, 80 residents of Spanish Town, St. Catherine, will become certified cosmetologists when they graduate from a training initiative being undertaken in collaboration with the HEART Trust/NTA. The initiative, dubbed the Business, Education, Sports, Scholarships and Training BEST programme, is the brainchild of Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange. Ms. Grange says the programme is in keeping with efforts to spur the growth of Spanish Town and its environs by empowering residents through training and educational initiatives.

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The Chesterfield bridge in St Mary is now open. Works on the 59 million dollar bridge over a section of the Wag Water River began in the summer of 2018 and was completed recently. Prime Minister Andrew Holness who officially opened the four-metre wide, one-lane Bridge on Wednesday, says the government has planned works for others across the island.

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Executive Director of the National Solid Waste Management Authority NSWMA, Audley Gordon, is calling on Jamaicans to play their part in proper waste management. Proper containerization of waste helps to alleviate the problems of garbage in waterways and the nuisances of foul odours and flies, as well as reduce the time the NSWMA spends gathering garbage.

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Local Government Minister, Desmond McKenzie says the Ministry is on track to deliver 28 homes for indigent persons this year. Fourteen units have been handed over so far with 4 more currently under construction. One of the houses was handed over in St Catherine last week and the Minister says another should be completed in the parish in short order.

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The government has established a mental health and suicide prevention helpline in effort to provide support to persons dealing with mental health issues in the society, The helpline was launched as part of the Ministry’s Speak up Speak now campaign, aimed at ending the stigma associated with mental illness. Join us to learn more. 

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Local Character Designer and Illustrator, Danielle Parchment, has welcomed the experience gained, after participating in a two-month summer programme at Capilano University in Canada. Danielle, was the winner of the Character Design category at this year’s KingstOOn 2019 animation competition. Her entry was entitled ‘Gabby – The Duppy Conqueror’. Among her prizes was the opportunity to participate in a two-month summer course at Capilano University.

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Residents of Top Hill and Retirement District in Malvern, St. Elizabeth, now have access to free potable water, following the opening of two water shops in the parish. The two communities are the latest to benefit under the Government’s initiative which involves setting up tanks and a storage facility to ease water shortage.

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