China sends medical team to support Jamaica’s hurricane recovery

Jamaica’s cohort of medical personnel responding to the impact of Hurricane Melissa is to be boosted by medical staff from China.

Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton said the Chinese Government has sent a medical ship to Jamaica with 104 medical professionals on board to support the efforts.

Tufton said they include 60 doctors, 32 nurses and pharmacists, and technicians.

Headlines Delivered to Your Inbox

Sign up for The Gleaner’s morning and evening newsletters.

“This is a big boost to the capacity of health care provision,” Tufton said at a press conference on Thursday.

The ship arrived on November 22 and is reportedly docked at Pedro Keys.

Tufton said the ship will relocate to the Falmouth Pier in Trelawny this weekend.

Meanwhile, Chief Medical Officer Dr Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie said work is ongoing to bring more health facilities and services back on stream, especially in primary health care.

Bisasor-McKenzie said that in the worst-affected parishes of Westmoreland, St Elizabeth, Hanover, St James, and Trelawny, 74 of the 101 health centres in the area have returned to offering routine scheduled services.

Another 12 are offering partial services, with 15 remaining closed.

Nine of the closed health centres are in St James.

It was also noted that no health centre is closed in Westmoreland and Trelawny.

Bisasor-McKenzie said that despite the challenges, hospitals in the affected areas are offering services with the support of health centres.

The CMO stated that community health aide workers are in the field in the affected areas, advising persons where they can visit for primary health care and also conducting health sensitisation and public education.

- Andre Williams