Post Cabinet Press Briefing Report- June 11, 2025

Post Cabinet Press Briefing Report- June 11, 2025

Posted on by OPM Communications

Minister Christopher Tufton

 

  • Senator Dr. the Honourable Dana Morris Dixon, Minister for Education, Skills, Youth and Information
  • Colleague Ministers
  • Ladies & Gentlemen
  • Members of the Media

 

Good morning,

I was pleased to have offered my ninth sectoral presentation in parliament on Tuesday and I wish to share some highlights of the priority initiatives in the coming months.

At the Ministry of Health and Wellness, we are preparing ourselves for the changes in medical sciences and technology linked to treatment and care to make healthcare screening and treatment more accessible and outcomes more predictable. This is where Artificial Intelligence Technology Enhanced Care for Health (AI-TECH) become essential.  

Artificial Intelligence is the process of using technology-driven data to assess, analyse, predict and influence outcomes. In healthcare, easier and faster screening, more minimal invasive treatment procedures and remote monitoring and support for the chronically ill.

I placed to announce an AI-TECH Council of Experts chaired by Dr. Rubin Pillay, Professor and Assistant Dean of the School of Medicine & Health Innovations at the University of Alabama in the USA to examine the trends and recommend new systems utilising AI technology to address the following areas:

  • Cross border treatment support, including with radiology services;
  • Lifestyle-linked medical profile predictability;
  • Community-based Screening;
  • Homecare for the chronically ill and ageing;
  • Ongoing monitoring and assessment;
  • Any other new trends and practices ethically acceptable for healthcare delivery.

 

This AI-TECH Council of Experts will conduct the necessary applied research and coordination to generate a report aligned to the country’s ten-year strategic plan to integrate AI technology into our health services delivery.

I have asked the National Health Fund (NHF) an agency of the Ministry of Health & Wellness, to provide an initial J$30M to support a secretariat for this work which I have asked to be done over a 12 month period, culminating in a one day workshop in Jamaica where the report will be presented and discussed by a cross section of health and health-related stakeholders.

My expectation is that the report will contain practical implementable solutions for policy considerations, which will be taken to the Cabinet for its consideration and eventual implementation.

I have also tasked the Wellness Fund to consider for the next research cycle that is focused on technology driven healthcare to hopefully bolster the offerings for a better delivered healthcare system.

 

FOOD HANDLERS PERMIT

Another important initiative is related to FOOD HANDLERS PERMIT, where more than 300,000 Jamaicans must apply and reapply each year, sometimes waiting up to six months to go through the process. This is inefficient and supports non-compliance.

Working with the team from our Environmental Health Unit, we will overhaul and transform the National Food Handlers Training & Certification Programme.

As part of those efforts, we will:

  • extend the term for a Food Handlers Permit renewal from one to two years;
  • Introduce convenient bill payment service options, effective January 1, 2026;
  • implement a bi-modal modular training format to reduce certification-processing time from three weeks to two weeks;
  • introduce new technology to facilitate faster and more efficient processing to eliminate delays and backlogs;
  • increase the cadre of professionally trained food handlers to reduce the risk of outbreaks linked to improper food handling; and
  • increase application access points, reducing wait time and enhanced delivery process.

 

CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE: NCDS RESPONSE

Ladies and gentlemen, the country continues to be plagued by Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and as a Ministry of Health & Wellness, we continue to seek out new strategies to combat premature death.

The four major causes of premature mortality and early onset of illness require a combination of prevention practices, screening and treatment. Our current reforms to primary and secondary healthcare are an attempt at reducing the risks associated with these areas.

However, we need to do more to map the trajectory of these illnesses and determine the points of intervention that reduce the risks and support continued expansion is specialised monitoring and care.

I have asked a team headed by Professor Trevor Ferguson Chair of the National NCD Committee to establish sub-committees with this task force for the development of Centres of Excellence around these four key disease risks, with emphasis on:

  • Epidemiological profiling and surveillance;
  • Primary prevention and health promotion;
  • Integrated and people-centred care models; and
  • Policy, governance and multisectoral action.

 

The terms of reference will include mapping the life course of vulnerable groups and determining a pathway to continued research and treatment for these diseases. I have asked for a report on this in 12 months.

 

THE HEALTH PROGRAMME FOR OLDER PERSONS PLAN

A final note on the older population (60 years and older) in Jamaica, which is the fastest growing age group, increasing at approximately 1.9 percent annually from 264,772 to 364,200 between 2001 and 2030. We are experiencing demographic transition and public health must be prepared to respond.

The Ministry of Health & Wellness is developing The Health Programme for Older Persons plan with the following objectives:

  • To maximise the period in which older persons maintain good health, wellness, and functional independence through the promotion of healthy ageing throughout the life course.
  • To build the capacity of at least 90% of healthcare practitioners in primary care to identify and manage healthcare needs in older adults.
  • To provide allied health and rehabilitative services to older persons with complex health and disability needs.

 

To this end, under the primary healthcare reform model, we will roll out the training of healthcare providers this year so that over the next two years we can establish basic screening for functional capacity as part of core services.

We will establish clinics for more detailed assessments and the development of personalised care plans and care pathways to ensure that the older person maximises their potential.

We are expanding rehabilitative and palliative care services in primary care and over the next two years, we intend to establish at least three physiotherapy sites in primary care in the first phase. This will allow easier access for older persons with chronic illnesses like stroke and other disorders that affect mobility.

Additionally in 2019, we started the Neuropsychiatry Clinic at the Kingston Public Hospital to manage clients with mental disorders caused by brain dysfunction such as Dementia. This plan is now to expand Neuropsych Clinic Services through telehealth, providing case conferences, especially for rural areas.

We are also expanding our family health programmes to include older persons’ health, we are also turning our attention to women’s health to address some specific challenges faced by our women.

The perimenopausal period is one of those issues that affects the well-being and productivity of women. More focus will be placed this year on exploring availability and access to wholistic management in the public sector. This will be addressed first through increasing knowledge and awareness among healthcare workers and equipping them to educate the public at the primary care visits.

Menopause, we know, is neither a disease nor a disorder. However, it impacts the state of mind and overall wellness of so many of our women, some of whom begin to experience symptoms as early as in their thirties. A study by the British Menopausal Society notes that more than 80% of women will be menopausal by age 54 with up 80-90% of women having symptoms, 25% of which will be described as severe and debilitating.

There is also growing evidence that there should be a clinical response to this personal life stage experience. I have, therefore, asked a team headed by The Most Hon. Denise Eldemire Shearer, to explore and establish a standard clinical response for this life stage. It is time to recognise that our women experiencing these symptoms deserve our support as a society.

Older men are also an important focus within the Ministry’s healthcare delivery framework. As men age, they undergo hormonal changes — particularly a gradual decline in testosterone levels — which, although distinct from the hormonal transitions experienced by women, can nonetheless lead to a range of physical, sexual, and psychological health challenges. These may include fatigue, decreased libido, mood changes, and reduced muscle mass.

Recognising and addressing these issues is essential to promoting the well-being and quality of life of older men. As such, their specific health needs will also form a part of the Ministry’s overall strategy to offer comprehensive care for the ageing population, through the adoption of the life course approach.

While we chart the course with these new initiatives, I also wish to remind you of our success in the past year.

 

Over the last year, we saw:

  • 4,274 Jamaicans benefitted from a Second Chance Smiles, receiving dentures;
  • 119 Jamaicans received prosthetic limbs from our New Limb New Life programme;
  • 756,001 received free drugs from the NHF;
  • 289,430 free screening tests were performed under the Know Your Numbers initiative;
  • 1,892,106 visits to our Health Centres;
  • 1,154,840 visits to hospitals; and
  • 63,562 life-saving surgeries.

 

And we continue to build out for the next term to bring:

  • Some 450 more new beds;
  • 27 new operating theatres; as well as
  • More diagnostic equipment through our leasing programme
  • More drugs from the NHF
  • More doctors, more nurses and
  • More opportunities for training and development and increased benefits to the healthcare team.

 

Thank you.