Jamaica’s Economic PerformanceSecure Site st. Catherine are to benefit from a new drug serv...
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T HE INTERNATIONAL Monetary fund (iMf) has given high marks for Jamaica’s performance under the stand-By Arrange- ment (sBA), saying programme implementation remains strong, with public debt firmly on a downward trajectory. in its recently released executive Board Review, the fund highlighted that strong programme implementation continues to anchor macro- economic stability. “All quantitative perform- ance criteria and structural benchmarks for end of dec- ember 2017 were met. fiscal consolidation is ongoing; pri- mary surplus is expected to be at least seven per cent of gross domestic product (Gdp) in financial year (fY) 2017/18 and a similar target is set in the fY 2018/19 Budget. public debt is projected to be under 100 per cent of Gdp by end-March 2019,” the report stated. the multilateral agency noted further that the unem- ployment rate is at a 10-year low, inflation and the current account are modest, inter- national reserves are at a comfortable level, and exter- nal borrowing costs are at historical lows. the executive Board, in its review, pointed to the need to boost growth, which was estimated at 0.5 per cent in 2017, with the growth fore- cast revised down to 0.9 per cent in fiscal year 2017/2018. it was noted that weakness in agriculture, slow recovery in mining, and a deceleration in manufacturing had offset growth in tourism and con- struction. the entity explained, fur- ther, that building the resilience of agriculture to weather- related events, and investing in school attendance and youth training programmes will improve growth and social outcomes. it added that continued reform implementation will not only safeguard hard- won gains but also deliver stronger growth and job creation. ADVT. Jamaica’s Economic Performance Remains Strong New Pharmacy to be Built at Linstead Hospital More Than 500 Young Persons to be Certified Through HOPE PM Urges UK Gov’t to Quickly Address Windrush Matter pRiMe MinisteR the Most Hon. Andrew Holness has urged the united Kingdom (uK) Government to address the Windrush Generation matter. the prime Minister’s response comes on the heels of the issue being discussed in the uK parliament. despite living and working in the uK for decades, thou- sands of people who arrived in the country as children in the first wave of Commonwealth migration (called the Windrush Generation) were being threatened with deportation. Many of those affected are of Jamaican and Caribbean heritage. speaking following a meeting with British prime Minister theresa May, in London on April 17, prime Minister, Holness stressed the importance of outlining clear procedural steps that will ultimately ensure that the rights of Caribbean migrants are restored. “it is extremely important to have procedural steps clearly outlined and widely shared to ensure that people are aware of the require- ments; that the evidentiary burden is reduced, the appli- cation process dramatically simplified and that pre-1973 Commonwealth Caribbean migrants currently detained as illegal immigrants are released,” prime Minister Holness emphasised. He added that those who were deported are to be afforded the necessary uK assistance in having their cases urgently reviewed and their rights restored. “We would like to encourage the uK govern- ment to use records at its disposal such as school, health, and tax records and that there be a presumption of legal residence on the part of the Windrush Generation while their cases are being reviewed,” Mr Holness said. He further commented that these individuals should continue to benefit from access to medical care, employment, and other services. Head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Staff Mission Team to Jamaica, Dr. Uma Ramakrishnan MoRe tHAn 500 young par- ticipants in the Housing, opportunity, production and employment (Hope) pro- gramme are to graduate by the end of June. speaking at a Jis ‘think tank’ on April 18, national Coordinator of the Hope programme, Lt. Col. Martin Rickman, said the partici- pants will receive certificates for having successfully com- pleted their training and apprenticeship by the end of the second quarter of this year. “the ini tial training, which is referred to as core skills training, includes a values and attitudes component, fol- lowed by basic skills training, after which they serve as apprentices and are paid a stipend,” said Lt. Col. Rickman. upon completion, the candidates are assessed for certification by HeARt trust/ ntA, in accordance with the programme’s guidelines. the Coordinator further noted that certification car- ries dual benefits, as the per- son would have been certi- fied as having served his country as well as being cer- tified in a specific skill area. “they can then go on to use this certification to secure gainful employment, or to start their own business ven- tures, if they so choose,” noted Lt. Col. Rickman. there are currently 5,000 participants in the programme, and of that number, 2,500 are actively engaged in specialised areas across various Agencies and departments. National Coordinator of the Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment (HOPE) Programme, Lt. Col. Martin Rickman supreme Court Gets new Courtrooms and elevators tHe supReMe Court, downtown Kingston, now has two additional court- rooms and two new eleva- tors, which were provided by the Government at a cost of approximately $35 million. At the official handover ceremony on April 18, Minister of Justice, Hon. delroy Chuck, said the pro- visions will allow the court to operate more efficiently by hearing more cases each day, thereby reducing the backlog as well as improving the turnaround time for the disposal of matters. He said the handover comes on the heels of the signing of an $846 million contract on April 17 that will provide for expansion of the Court of Appeal and the office of the director of public prosecutions. “We are being very strategic and deliberate in the infrastructural works that we have been doing at the courts and other justice institutions. Last fiscal year alone, we spent close to $700 million on infrastructural works, which represents (an)… increase of 250 per cent over the 2016/2017 fiscal year expenditure,” Minister Chuck stated. Chief Justice, Hon. Justice Bryan sykes, who spoke to JIS News, said he was elated about the new courtrooms and the elevators. “it’s all about improving the flow of cases through the court and also improving the delivery of justice. so with more courtrooms… you should increase the rate of disposition of cases, which ultimately, over time, will translate into reduced wait time for cases,” he pointed out. Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck (centre), hands over the keys for the two new courtrooms at the Supreme Court Building in downtown Kingston to Chief Justice, Hon. Bryan Sykes (left), on April 18. Sharing in the moment is Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Carol Palmer. Residents of Linstead and surrounding communities in st. Catherine are to benefit from a new drug serv phar- macy to be built on the com- pound of the Linstead hospital. Minister of Health, dr. the Hon. Christopher tuf ton, broke ground for the $31 million facility on April 19. dr. tufton said the new building should be completed in eight months, with more space for staff to deliver improved service. Last year, the old phar- macy at the hospital received 30,000 visits, with over 50,000 prescriptions filled. “there is no doubt about the value of the infrastructure to the community,” dr. tufton told the audience. He said the Government is making large investments in the improvement of infra- structure, as this is crucial to the delivery of quality health- care to persons who have to use the facilities. “We have to continue to drive that process and find the resources to support it,” the Minister said. Meanwhile, Chairman of the funding agency, the national Health fund (nHf), Gregory Mair, urged the con- tractor to deliver the project on time and within budget. in february, the Gov- ernment opened the expanded Accident and emergency department at the hospital, which was constructed at a cost of $144 million, funded by the nHf. Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (left), pres- ents a tablet computer to St. Cyprian’s Preparatory School student, Alicia Blake (centre), who was one of seven students to sit the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) in hospital, during his visit to the institution in Highgate, St. Mary, on April 18. At right is Alicia’s mother, Maria Bennett-Blake. Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton (3rd left), breaks ground for a $31 million pharmacy at the Linstead Hospital in St. Catherine on April 19. Also taking part (from left) are Member of Parliament for North West St. Catherine, Robert Pickersgill; Parish Manager for the St. Catherine Health Services, Dr. Beverly Needham, and Chairman of the funding agency, the National Health Fund (NHF), Gregory Mair. Grade Six Student Receives Tablet Computer It’s all about improving the flow of cases through the court and also improving the delivery of justice. “ ” Prime Minister the Most Hon. Andrew Holness meets with UK Prime Minister, Theresa May, in London on April 17.
Transcript of Jamaica’s Economic PerformanceSecure Site st. Catherine are to benefit from a new drug serv...
THE INTERNATIONALMonetary fund (iMf)has given high marks
for Jamaica’s performanceunder the stand-By Arrange-ment (sBA), saying programmeimplementation remains strong,with public debt firmly on adownward trajectory. in its recently releasedexecutive Board Review, thefund highlighted that strongprogramme implementationcontinues to anchor macro-economic stability. “All quantitative perform-ance criteria and structuralbenchmarks for end of dec-ember 2017 were met. fiscalconsolidation is ongoing; pri-mary surplus is expected tobe at least seven per cent ofgross domestic product (Gdp)in financial year (fY) 2017/18and a similar target is set inthe fY 2018/19 Budget. publicdebt is projected to be under
100 per cent of Gdp byend-March 2019,” the reportstated. the multilateral agencynoted further that the unem-ployment rate is at a 10-yearlow, inflation and the currentaccount are modest, inter-national reserves are at acomfortable level, and exter-nal borrowing costs are athistorical lows. the executive Board, inits review, pointed to the needto boost growth, which wasestimated at 0.5 per cent in2017, with the growth fore-cast revised down to 0.9 percent in fiscal year 2017/2018.it was noted that weakness inagriculture, slow recovery inmining, and a deceleration inmanufacturing had offsetgrowth in tourism and con-struction. the entity explained, fur-ther, that building the resilience
of agriculture to weather-related events, and investingin school attendance andyouth training programmeswill improve growth andsocial outcomes.
it added that continuedreform implementation willnot only safeguard hard-won gains but also deliverstronger growth and jobcreation.
ADVT.
Jamaica’s Economic PerformanceRemains Strong
New Pharmacy to be Built at Linstead Hospital
More Than 500 Young Persons to be Certified Through HOPE
PM Urges UK Gov’t to QuicklyAddress Windrush MatterpRiMe MinisteR the MostHon. Andrew Holness hasurged the united Kingdom (uK)Government to address theWindrush Generation matter. the prime Minister’s
response comes on the heelsof the issue being discussedin the uK parliament. despite living and workingin the uK for decades, thou-sands of people who arrived inthe country as children in thefirst wave of Commonwealthmigration (called the WindrushGeneration) were beingthreatened with deportation. Many of those affected
are of Jamaican andCaribbean heritage. speaking following ameeting with British primeMinister theresa May, inLondon on April 17, primeMinister, Holness stressedthe importance of outliningclear procedural steps thatwill ultimately ensure that therights of Caribbean migrantsare restored. “it is extremely important
to have procedural stepsclearly outlined and widely
shared to ensure that peopleare aware of the require-ments; that the evidentiaryburden is reduced, the appli-cation process dramaticallysimplified and that pre-1973Commonwealth Caribbeanmigrants currently detainedas illegal immigrants arereleased,” prime MinisterHolness emphasised. He added that thosewho were deported are to beafforded the necessary uKassistance in having theircases urgently reviewed andtheir rights restored. “We would like toencourage the uK govern-ment to use records at itsdisposal such as school,health, and tax records andthat there be a presumptionof legal residence on the partof the Windrush Generationwhile their cases are beingreviewed,” Mr Holness said. He further commentedthat these individuals shouldcontinue to benefit fromaccess to medical care,employment, and otherservices.
Head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) StaffMission Team to Jamaica, Dr. Uma Ramakrishnan
MoRe tHAn 500 young par-ticipants in the Housing,opportunity, production andemployment (Hope) pro-gramme are to graduate bythe end of June. speaking at a Jis ‘thinktank’ on April 18, nationalCoordinator of the Hopeprogramme, Lt. Col. MartinRickman, said the partici-pants will receive certificatesfor having successfully com-pleted their training andapprenticeship by the end ofthe second quarter of thisyear. “the initial training, whichis referred to as core skillstraining, includes a values andattitudes component, fol-lowed by basic skills training,after which they serve as
apprentices and are paid astipend,” said Lt. Col. Rickman.
upon completion, thecandidates are assessed for
certification by HeARt trust/ntA, in accordance with theprogramme’s guidelines. the Coordinator furthernoted that certification car-ries dual benefits, as the per-son would have been certi-fied as having served hiscountry as well as being cer-tified in a specific skill area. “they can then go on touse this certification to securegainful employment, or tostart their own business ven-tures, if they so choose,”noted Lt. Col. Rickman. there are currently5,000 participants in theprogramme, and of thatnumber, 2,500 are activelyengaged in specialised areasacross various Agencies anddepartments.
National Coordinator of the Housing, Opportunity,Production and Employment (HOPE) Programme, Lt. Col.Martin Rickman
supreme Court Gets new Courtrooms and elevatorstHe supReMe Court,downtown Kingston, nowhas two additional court-rooms and two new eleva-tors, which were providedby the Government at a costof approximately $35 million. At the official handoverceremony on April 18,Minister of Justice, Hon.delroy Chuck, said the pro-visions will allow the courtto operate more efficientlyby hearing more cases eachday, thereby reducing thebacklog as well as improvingthe turnaround time for thedisposal of matters. He said the handovercomes on the heels of thesigning of an $846 millioncontract on April 17 that willprovide for expansion of the
Court of Appeal and theoffice of the director ofpublic prosecutions. “We are being verystrategic and deliberate inthe infrastructural worksthat we have been doing atthe courts and other justiceinstitutions. Last fiscal yearalone, we spent close to$700 million on infrastructuralworks, which represents (an)…increase of 250 per cent overthe 2016/2017 fiscal yearexpenditure,” Minister Chuckstated.
Chief Justice, Hon. JusticeBryan sykes, who spoke toJIS News, said he was elatedabout the new courtroomsand the elevators. “it’s all about improvingthe flow of cases throughthe court and also improvingthe delivery of justice. sowith more courtrooms…you should increase the rateof disposition of cases,which ultimately, over time,will translate into reducedwait time for cases,” hepointed out.
Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck (centre), hands over the keys for the two newcourtrooms at the Supreme Court Building in downtown Kingston to Chief Justice,Hon. Bryan Sykes (left), on April 18. Sharing in the moment is Permanent Secretary,Ministry of Justice, Carol Palmer.
Residents of Linstead andsurrounding communities inst. Catherine are to benefitfrom a new drug serv phar-macy to be built on the com-pound of the Linstead hospital. Minister of Health, dr. theHon. Christopher tufton, brokeground for the $31 millionfacility on April 19. dr. tufton said the newbuilding should be completedin eight months, with morespace for staff to deliverimproved service. Last year, the old phar-macy at the hospital received30,000 visits, with over 50,000prescriptions filled. “there is no doubt aboutthe value of the infrastructureto the community,” dr. tuftontold the audience. He said the Governmentis making large investmentsin the improvement of infra-structure, as this is crucial tothe delivery of quality health-care to persons who have touse the facilities. “We have to continue todrive that process and find
the resources to support it,”the Minister said. Meanwhile, Chairman ofthe funding agency, thenational Health fund (nHf),Gregory Mair, urged the con-tractor to deliver the projecton time and within budget.
in february, the Gov-
ernment opened the expanded
Accident and emergency
department at the hospital,
which was constructed at a
cost of $144 million, funded
by the nHf.
Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (left), pres-ents a tablet computer to St. Cyprian’s Preparatory School student, Alicia Blake(centre), who was one of seven students to sit the Grade Six Achievement Test(GSAT) in hospital, during his visit to the institution in Highgate, St. Mary, onApril 18. At right is Alicia’s mother, Maria Bennett-Blake.
Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton (3rdleft), breaks ground for a $31 million pharmacy at theLinstead Hospital in St. Catherine on April 19. Also takingpart (from left) are Member of Parliament for North WestSt. Catherine, Robert Pickersgill; Parish Manager for theSt. Catherine Health Services, Dr. Beverly Needham, andChairman of the funding agency, the National HealthFund (NHF), Gregory Mair.
Grade Six Student Receives Tablet Computer
It’s all about improving the flow of cases through the court
and also improving the delivery of justice.
“
”
Prime Minister the Most Hon. Andrew Holness meetswith UK Prime Minister, Theresa May, in London on April 17.
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