MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica — Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton, says the island’s public health sector is undergoing significant changes to meet the needs of Jamaicans.

In a release on Monday, Tufton noted that the changes entail infrastructure development through upgrading and building of new hospitals on a magnitude that has not been seen since Independence. He says developments also include advancements in technology to enhance operational efficiency.

Dr Tufton was addressing the official opening of the 22nd annual Caribbean Neurosciences Symposium and Workshops at the Half Moon Conference Centre on Friday, February 9.

He also noted that some of the changes come out of the experience of COVID-19, which amplified challenges in the sector.

“There were a lot of teaching moments [that came] out of COVID-19. I have been fortunate to lead a period of challenges but have seen the benefit of support from the society, from the Government [and] from the Cabinet to put a lot of resources in public health, some of it out of necessity, some of it out of advocacy. I am proud of that for myself [and] on behalf of the team that I lead,” he noted.

The symposium was hosted by the Caribbean Neurological Association and Department of Surgery at the University of the West Indies and the University Hospital of the West Indies’ Division of Neurosurgery.

The symposium served to provide updates for doctors and doctors-in-training about new technologies and techniques being applied in medicine.