Barbados is taking a second look on how to finance healthcare for its population which in 2013 healthcare accounted for 8.7 % of its GDP and by 2015 it dropped to 7.5% (-1.2) which is still significantly higher when compared to larger islands Like Jamaica 5.93% and Trinidad 6.02%. Universal health coverage could be one solution and the concept is growing in popularity in the region as countries … [Read more...]

Immunotherapies are beginning to revolutionize clinical care and to revolutionize the way we think about cancer therapy — that it can and should be curative. However, current approaches do not provide all patients with the long-lasting, safe, accessible cures that are needed. There is so much more to be done. I am encouraged by the pace of discovery at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, … [Read more...]

The exodus of nurses from the Caribbean continues to sap the manpower in public health institutions in the region and consequently impacting the quality of healthcare services being delivered to patient populations. This author has been following the nursing dilemma for quite a while now and it came to a crisis in Jamaica last year when many ICU nurses left the the hospital at the University of … [Read more...]

The Jamaican government takes the first step to regulate the emerging medical marijuana industry. Global Canna Labs Limited (GCL) has now formally received its Tier 3 cultivation licence from the Jamaican Cannabis Licensing Agency, which allows the company to cultivate organic medical cannabis at its 270,000 square feet facility within its 6.23 acres site in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Read More … [Read more...]