Starting Monday, October 2, Jamaicans will be able to take advantage of extended opening hours for all Type Three to Five health centres islandwide as the country faces a dengue outbreak.
Speaking during today’s post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, Director of Health Services Planning and Integration, Dr. Nadine Williams, said the new closing time for the centres will be 8:00 p.m.
Also, as of Monday, October 2, children under 18 years who visit the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) will not be charged a fee or be required to pay for the services at the facility.
This is in light of the fact that most confirmed cases of the mosquito-borne disease have been seen in children, ages five to 14.
The dengue outbreak was declared on Saturday, September 23, with Jamaica having surpassed the epidemic threshold for July and August and on a trajectory to do the same in September.
The dominant strain affecting the island is Dengue Type 2, which last predominated in 2010.
