ODPEM to Update PM on Earthquake PreparednessTHE OFFICE of Dis-

aster Preparedness andEmergency Manage-

ment (ODPEM) is to updatePrime Minister the MostHon. Andrew Holness onthe country’s state of pre-paredness for a major earth-quake. The Prime Minister,who is also Chairman of theNational Disaster Pre-paredness Committee, saidODPEM is to apprise theGovernment of areas ofneed as well as the protocolsgoverning response to amajor earthquake. “I am engaging ODPEMto ensure that, as far as pos-sible, all the critical firstresponders and relief agenciesare in a state of preparedness

and able to function effec-tively in the event of a seri-ous earthquake or similarlycatastrophic event,” Mr.

Holness said in a releaseissued by the Office of thePrime Minister on April 20. He added that publiceducation will also be anarea of focus, as it is impor-tant to inform citizens ofsteps they can take to betterprepare for a catastrophicearthquake as well as therole they can play in safe-guarding lives in the eventthere is one.” Mr. Holness commentedthat the catastrophic earth-quakes that affected Japanand Ecuador recently, aswell as the tremor thatimpacted Barbados and St.Vincent, bring into sharpfocus the importance of dis-aster preparedness.

“These events underscorehow critical it is to haveeffective protocols in placeto respond and coordinaterelief effort in the event ofan earthquake,” Mr. Holnesssaid.

Be an Be an ENERGY CHAMPION

Be an ENERGY CHAMPION

When not in use... turn it off, shut it down or plug it out

MINISTRY OFSCIENCE, TECHNOLOGYENERGY AND MINING

ADVT.

No Reduction in PATH Payments to BeneficiariesTHE MINISTRY ofLabour and Social Securityis advising that there hasbeen no reduction in thebenefits provided by theProgramme of Advance-ment through Health andEducation (PATH). This assurance hascome from the ChiefTechnical Director in theMinistry, Dionne Jennings. The advice is in lightof concerns that havebeen circulating regardinga reduction in the pay-ment to beneficiaries ofthe Programme. Mrs. Jennings alsoreminded the beneficiar-ies that children attendingprimary and secondaryschools are required tomaintain an 85 per centattendance record inorder to receive the fullpayment of their benefits. “When we had donesome of the checks andverifications, there aresome persons who did notcomply with the atten-dance requirement. Andso persons would nothave received the full

benefits if they had not metthe compliance requirement.They would have justreceived the basic benefits,”she explained. The payment whichwas made on April 15 isbased on school atten-dance during the monthsof January and February Mrs. Jennings isencouraging beneficiarieswho have queries abouttheir payments to contactthe Ministry’s office intheir respective parishes.

CSJP Gets More Than $1 Billion

Prime Minister the MostHon. Andrew Holness

THE MINISTRY of Healthis to spend some $1.32billion under the HealthServices Improvement Pro-ject to support enhancedservice delivery in the pub-lic health system. This is contained in the2016/17 Estimates of Expen-diture, tabled in the Houseof Representatives onApril 14, by Minister ofFinance and the PublicService, Hon. Audley Shaw. The targets for the fis-cal year under the projectinclude: procurement of aHospital Management Infor-mation System (HMIS),the preparation of designsfor the construction of fourpolyclinics, as well as vectorcontrol support.

The rehabilitation ofhealth care facilities andthe acquisition of a Linear

Accelerator to be used incancer treatment are alsoincluded in the targets. The

project is being funded bythe National Health Fund(NHF). Some $24 million hasalso been allocated,through the ConsolidatedFund, to upgrade the watersupply system at theBellevue Hospital. Theobjective of this project isto reduce water loss andimprove consumption effi-ciency by re-piping thesupply at the institution.

$1.32B Allocated to Health Services Improvement Project

“I am engagingODPEM toensure that asfar as possible,all the criticalfirst respondersand relief agencies are in a state of preparedness.”

Haile Selassie’s Grandson in Jamaica for Nine-Day Visit

Prime Minister the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (right) presents His ImperialHighness, Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie, with a gift during a courtesy call at theOffice of the Prime Minister on April 22. The Prince was accompanied by his wife,Princess Saba Kebede (left). The Prince’s visit is in commemoration of the 50th

anniversary of the State visit of his grandfather, the late Emperor of Ethiopia, HisImperial Majesty Haile Selassie, who is revered by the Rastafari movement.

Chief Technical Director,Social Security, Ministryof Labour and SocialSecurity, Dionne Jennings

The Rowlands Field Health Centre in St. Thomas

MORE THAN $1 billionhas been allocated to theCitizen Security andJustice Programme (CSJP)III, to carry out crime andviolence prevention pro-grammes in targeted com-munities. This is outlined in the2016/17 Estimates of Expen-diture, currently before theHouse of Representatives. The money allocatedfor the new fiscal year willgo towards the continuationof social interventions in 50

communities by providing:parenting education andcounselling interventions; vio-lence interruption services;support to 45 CommunityAction Committees; andsupport for communityinfrastructural projects, inclu-ding multipurpose centres. It will also be used forjob training (at the JamaicaDefence Force) and employ-ment internship opportunities;business development trainingand small grants; supportto develop 14 community

safety plans and 14 com-munity profiles (to includewomen’s and children’ssafety audits); social mar-keting and media campaigns(particularly on gang cul-ture and social norm trans-formation); and the devel-opment of a case managementsystem for adequate moni-toring of interventions. An entity of the Ministryof National Security, CSJPaims to prevent and reduceviolence, strengthen crimemanagement capabilities,and improve the deliveryof judicial services.

A SUM of $651 millionhas been allocated to theStrategic Public SectorTransformation Project inthe 2016/17 Estimates ofExpenditure, now before theHouse of Representatives. The project, which isbeing funded by the UnitedKingdom’s Department forInternational Development,the Government of Jamaicaand the International Bankfor Reconstruction andDevelopment, is aimed at

strengthening public res-ource management andsupport for selected publicsector institutions, in facili-tating a more enablingenvironment for privatesector growth. Earmarked activitiesfor this fiscal year include:the continuation of the designand implementation of thePublic Investment Manage-ment Information System(PIMIS); and conductingpublic investment man-

agement stakeholder sen-sitisation workshops in allMinistries, Departmentsand Agencies. Other activities includesupporting the process ofinvestigating the viabilityof entities being consideredfor merger, contracting out,divestment or closure asappropriate, by conducting adetailed operational review;training of National Com-pliance and RegulatoryAuthority (NCRA) staff;

and beginning the prepa-ration of Jamaica NationalAgency for Accreditation(JANAAC) to offerISO17020 accreditation. The project is beingimplemented by theMinistry of Finance andthe Public Service. Theproject, which started inAugust 2014, is slated toend in January 2020.

Transformation Project Gets $651 Million

The Waterhouse Community Multi-purpose Centre wasconstructed through the Citizen Security and JusticeProgramme (CSJP). It was officially opened last year.

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