MOH to boost health screening

In response to lifestyle diseases and premature mortality, the Ministry of Health and Wellness will this year roll out its ‘Know Your Numbers’ campaign to encourage yearly health screening and reduce illness among the population.

Portfolio Minister Dr Christopher Tufton informed that the ministry is targeting 500,000 screening tests for the 2023/24 financial year.

“This is to provide Jamaicans with the opportunity to know what they are vulnerable to and what they need to do to correct this through lifestyle changes,” he said while making his contribution to the Sectoral Debate in Parliament this afternoon.

“Madam Speaker, to achieve this, we intend to bolster offerings of health checks and promote health screening in our hospitals and clinics across the country. Screening will become routine operating procedure through our primary reform programme, in particular our Life-Stage approach. This means, once you enter a facility for any concern or examination, you will be provided with a health screening,” said Tufton.

Through the Regional Health Authorities, the Ministry will repurpose its COVID-19 mobile units in order to offer mobile screening services across Jamaica, including through community outreach programmes.

Increased efforts will be made to target the most vulnerable among the population such as people living in remote, difficult, underserved and unreached areas, to assess and provide management for illness.

Core services to be offered include screening for body mass index, hypertension, diabetes, vision, cholesterol and HIV/Syphilis.

Expanded services will include ECG, prostate cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, colorectal cancer, dementia and frailty, and immunization.

The programme will also feature a pathway to care that ensures that once diagnosed with any chronic illness, people can immediately be referred to treatment.

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