Jamaica Moves: april 2018-march 2019

The Jamaica Moves programme is a comprehensive health promotion campaign that embraces the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion and utilizes all its tenets to create a vibrant sustainable behaviour change model to tackle the risk factors for Non Communicable diseases. The programme corrals a variety of activities that makes conditions favourable for behaviour change through advocacy for health and providing access to information to enable all people to reach their fullest health potential by taking control of those things that determine their health, while, bearing in mind the responsibility of the Ministry of Health to mediate between differing interests in society for the pursuit of health. The programme cuts across all sectors of society, targeted at the individual, interpersonal, organizational, community and national levels. Jamaica Moves started at a national level, aiming at changing behaviour in the general public towards increasing the level of physical activity. Since implementation, the initial concept has been expanded to target three main areas: Physical inactivity, healthy nutrition and promotion of routine health checks for the general population. Health is created and lived by people within the settings of their everyday life; where they learn, work, play and live. Health is created by caring for oneself and for others, and by enabling the individual to take decisions and have control over one's life circumstances, and by ensuring that the society one lives in creates conditions that allow the attainment of health by all its constituents.

Surgeries in public hospitals

This publication presents a special feature on surgeries performed in public hospitals for the reference period, January to March 2017. Readers will find the 22% percent reduction in live births (compared to similar period in 2016) an interesting observation, particularly when viewed against the background of the Zika outbreak and the encouragement to families to delay pregnancies.

Psychological support for pregnant women, persons with Guillain-Barre syndrome and / or families affected by the Zika virus

The incidence of Microcephaly and / or Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) has increased in several countries, concurrent with a Zika virus outbreak. Physicians, nurses and other healthcare providers must be aware of the strategies to be utilized when consulting with the following groups of persons and their families: pregnant women; pregnant women with suspected or confirmed Zika virus infection; pregnant women who know they carry a child with suspected microcephaly; caregivers and families of an infant with microcephaly; and persons with GBS and other neurological disorders. Psychosocial support is the process of addressing the psychological and social issues associated with a particular crisis. In this instance, the crisis is related to the Zika virus outbreak. The team involved in the provision of psychological support includes but is not limited to the: primary healthcare provider; Obstetrician / Gynaecologist; Paediatrician; Registered Nurse / Midwife; Neurologist, or other physician or surgeon.

Zika virus infection clinical management protocol: Paediatrics

A clinical management protocol for the Zika Virus was prepared for medical professionals by the Emergency, Disaster Management and Special Services Branch of the Ministry of Health, Jamaica. This protocol outlines clinical features, symptoms, and management procedures for medical and health personnel and the way they should respond to suspected cases of ZIka among pregnant women.

The management of Guillain-Barre Syndrome

This document discusses how the Guillain­Barre syndrome should be handled medical professionals in Jamaica. In addition to an overview of the disease, the clinical presentation, case definition, a sample laboratory diagnosis, treatment and complications are mentioned.

Ministry of Health highlights of key initiatives 2016-2017

The Ministry of Health Highlights of Key Initiatives 2016-2017, includes a look at the national response to the Zika Virus in Jamaica and other issues facing Jamaica's Public Health system.

Zika virus infection clinical management protocol: Pregnant women

This document outlines the clinical management protocol Jamaican medical professionals should employ for suspected cases of pregnant women infected with the Zika virus. Clinical features, case definitions, testing procedures, symptoms and pregnancy management are included in this article.

Developing systems of excellence: Providing quality accessible health care for all

This 2014 debate presentation was delivered by the Minister of Health, Jamaica, the Honorable Dr. Fenton Ferguson on Tuesday 1st July, 2014. It was entitled, "Developing systems of excellence: Providing quality accessible health care for all." In this debate an overview of the measures taken by the Ministry of Health was discussed and included its response to vector borne diseases such as Dengue and Chikungunya.

Zika update

This issue is a reminder that prevention is better than cure: prevention in the form of immunization, leading a healthy lifestyle and regular medical evaluation. Prevention ensures the health of individuals, families, communities and the health system and leads to a healthy population for development. Jamaica has made great gains in the prevention of communicable diseases through immunization. Diseases such as polio, measles, rubella and diphtheria have not been seen in Jamaica for decades, eliminating deaths and disabilities associated with these illnesses, and decreasing childhood mortality rates. In 2016, the vaccination coverage for all but one vaccine was the best that it had been in five years. This achievement required the involvement of the public and private health sectors in giving, recording and reporting vaccine administration; and parents, guardians and teachers being vigilant to ensure that our children are appropriately vaccinated. Continued vigilance is required, as many countries still have these diseases which may be imported and spread if less than 95% of the population is immunized.

Health promoting school survey 2011 final report: february 2013

The Ministry of Health (MOH), in seeking to promote healthy lifestyles to the Jamaican population, targets special settings as a means to achieving this goal. One of these special settings is the school. The MOH has had an on-going working relationship with the Ministry of Education (MOE) where targeted health interventions have been conducted in schools across the island. However, there has never been a sustained collaborative approach which is comprehensive in nature. It is for this reason that the MOH and the MOE have begun working together to implement a plan through which all schools will strive to be established as Health Promoting Schools

Ministry of Health and Environment

Official web site of the Ministry of Health and Environment of the Government of Jamaica. Displays information on health issues for the population, news, list of public hospitals, public health programmes and events calendar.

Ministry of Health of Jamaica.

Information about organisational structure, regional health autorities, health priorities, client rights and responsabilities, and health programmes.