Ministry of Health and Wellness explains name change

The Ministry of Health and Wellness has moved to explain its name change.

Previously the Health Ministry, Portfolio Minister, Dr Christopher Tufton, told parliament yesterday that Prime Minister Andrew Holness sanctioned the name change.

The Ministry, in a statement this afternoon, explained that the change reflects the new strategic direction for public health in Jamaica and is in line with the World Health Organisation definition of health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

As a result, it said it is focusing on the creation of a state of wellbeing for the Jamaicans, giving priority to preventive health care through enhanced health promotion and education.

Further, the ministry will also give emphasis to personal responsibility in health.

“The Ministry will, therefore, pursue a wellness approach to health. The dimensions of this approach include not only the physical, but also the mental and social, as well as, the emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, vocational, and spiritual,” Tufton explained.

By highlighting the wellness aspects of health, the Ministry will increase the promotion of healthy lifestyle choices – from healthy eating habits and healthy sexual and reproductive decisions for men and women to, among other things, the improvement in the early detection of non-communicable diseases.

Strategic pillars

* Primary Prevention - intervening before health effects occur, through measures, such as vaccinations, altering risky behaviours (poor eating habits, tobacco use), and banning substances known to be associated with a disease or health condition;

* Secondary Prevention - screening to identify diseases in the earliest stages, before the onset of signs and symptoms, through measures such as mammography and regular blood pressure testing; and

* Tertiary Prevention - managing disease post diagnosis to slow or stop disease progression through measures, such as chemotherapy, rehabilitation, and screening for complications. 

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