Universal Service Fund provides $17.5 million to upgrade broadband at health facilities

The Universal Service Fund (USF) has provided $17.5 million in information and communications technology (ICT) support to the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

Minister of Science, Energy and Technology, Fayval Williams, handed over the cheque during a digital press conference at the Health Ministry’s New Kingston offices on Wednesday.

She said that the support being provided by the USF will boost the bandwidth capacity of health facilities across the island in the fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“The upgraded connectivity is to facilitate an uptick in the demand for connectivity by the Ministry of Health and Wellness, through videoconferencing, data transfer and archiving activities during the national response to the coronavirus,” she noted.

She said that the additional bandwidth capacity will enable healthcare providers to engage with telemedicine and virtual clinics.

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton, said the support from the USF is critical as the nation combats COVID-19.

“These resources will be very useful, and the data transmission is absolutely critical,” he noted.

The USF, which is an agency of the Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology, has upgraded the bandwidth speed of several health facilities across the island in recent times.

These include regional health authorities, health centres, health departments and hospitals.

- JIS News

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