IRIE FM

Former Acting Permanent Secretary in the Health and Wellness Ministry, Errol Greene, has been appointed reform implementation executive at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI).

His appointment took effect today.

Mr. Greene will be tasked to manage the implementation of the UHWI rehabilitation project in collaboration with the board of management and the University of the West Indies.

Mr. Greene will also lead the implementation of the recommendations of the Auditor General’s report of December 2025 and of the UHWI institutional review committee report of April 2026.

Mr. Green says he considers this a great honour to be tasked with this responsibility, adding that he will work with the hospital’s staff to ensure the mandate is achieved.

In welcoming Mr. Greene to the role, Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton says this appointment is an important step in strengthening accountability, improving operational efficiency and ensuring the effective implementation of the hospital’s rehabilitation project.

He says the Ministry is confident that Mr. Greene’s leadership and institutional knowledge will help to drive the necessary changes to support improved governance, strengthen service delivery and position UHWI to better serve the people of Jamaica and the wider Caribbean.

For his part, Chairman of the UHWI Board of Management, Patrick Hylton, notes that the board recognises the importance of strong leadership, sound governance and decisive action at this critical juncture in the hospital’s development.

He adds that Mr. Greene brings considerable experience in public sector management and healthcare administration, which will be invaluable in advancing the reform programme and addressing the recommendations arising from the relevant reviews.

The St. Ann Police have indicated that they have found a solution to address traffic congestion during the staging of major events in the parish.

This is being done through a review of the traffic management plans and strengthened collaboration with the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch (PSTEB) to facilitate a more effective approach to traffic management.

There have been complaints in the past about traffic gridlock in the parish associated with parties during the holiday periods.

Speaking on the police’s Force4Good Podcast on Sunday, Commander for the St. Ann Police, Senior Superintendent (SSP) Carlos Russell, said the police have developed a formula for traffic management through the staging of past events.

He said several parties were staged in the parish for the Heroes Day weekend, noting that the police collaborated with party promoters to prevent traffic congestion.

Meanwhile, Head of the area two police, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) McArthur Sutherland said the meetings with party promoters are an essential part of the police’s traffic management plans.

He added that the partnership with PSTEB has also been successful.

ACP Sutherland said during such major events, the police have moved away from stopping vehicles on main thoroughfares for ticket verifications and searches.

The National Water Commission has indicated that 21 of its $33 billion debt is related to General Consumption Tax (GCT) liabilities owed to the Government.

Chief Financial Officer Fabian Christie made the revelation when questioned on the debt during a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee this morning.

The debt, which was detailed in an Auditor General report, reached an estimated $33.2 billion by March 2026.

It’s reportedly an accumulation of unpaid bills to suppliers and severe liquidity and collection challenges.

The report revealed that this caused issues for capital spending and project prioritisation.

According to the report, although NWC’s income improved from a loss of $5.7 billion in 2019/2020 to a profit of $0.2 billion in 2023/2024, this did not translate into stronger liquidity.

It noted that payables also continued to rise.

It rose from $10.6 billion in 2016/2017 to $33.2 billion in 2025/2026.

Mr. Christie noted that the net improvements of $4.6 billion is not an indication of the cash that is required to satisfy NWC’s payables and financial obligations.

He noted that with majority of the debt owed to the Government, there is need for a tariff increase. 

Jamaicans could soon see an increase in how much they pay for water, sewerage and other services.

This comes as the National Water Commission (NWC) has asked the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) to raise tariffs by 51 per cent.

NWC Acting President Kevin Kerr made the disclosure during this morning’s meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

He said the request, submitted last Friday, will place the Commission in a position where revenues can meet expenses.

The OUR will review the submission and make a determination.

Mr. Kerr also noted that engagements will be held with customers before any increase is implemented.

The NWC was last granted an interim tariff in 2019.

The Jamaica Medical Doctors’ Association (JMDA) will seek an update from the Health Ministry this week following the ruling by the Industrial Disputes Tribunal on overtime rates.

The Tribunal ruled in favour of the JMDA on October 5 and Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton stated earlier this month, that the Ministries of Finance, Labour and Health were studying the ruling.

He said there would be deliberations on the approach to be taken.

JMDA President Dr. Jubilee Brown Service says the association has not yet heard from the Ministry and a letter will be sent this week.

She is hoping there’s no delay to the implementation of the overtime rates, noting that doctors have been waiting for some time.

The issue dates back to 2023.

The Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) anticipates greater use of technology in its investigations and renews its appeal to citizens with video recordings of matters being probed to make contact.

The Commission has on several occasions, encouraged persons with CCTV footage, mobile-phone recordings or other relevant evidence concerning an incident under investigation to contact its offices.

At the same time, it has lamented the absence of body-worn cameras during police operations.

INDECOM Commissioner Hugh Faulkner says the Commission believes the public can assist with its mandate to conduct investigations in an independent, impartial and objective manner.

Family members of one of the two men fatally shot by the police in Mandeville, Manchester yesterday, staged a protest at the Mandeville Police Station, demanding answers over his death.

Relatives identified the deceased as Roshane Gayle, a construction worker of Congo Hole near Southfield in St. Elizabeth.

Police say the other man is 32-year-old Chin Ross otherwise called “Biggs”.

He is a farmer of Cave District, Clarendon and Top Hill District, St. Elizabeth.

Reports are that the men were shot at about 6:40 a.m., while travelling in a motor vehicle.

The police reported that the men opened fire at them, which was returned.

It’s reported that a firearm was also seized during the incident.

Mr. Gayle’s mother, Lisa Parchment said her son went to visit his girlfriend and was returning home to St. Elizabeth when he was shot.

She insisted that her son was not a wrongdoer.

She said her son was also a recipient of a farm work card.

The St. Ann Police have employed a specialized Crime Band Team on weekends aimed at reducing murders that occur during that time-frame.

Murders are down by 40% in the parish, while shootings have decreased by 60% so far this year.

Commander of the police division, Senior Superintendent Carlos Russell explained that the police identified that Ocho Rios and St. Ann’s Bay accounted for 70% of the murders in 2025.

Several strategies were developed to address the issue, including the Crime Band Team.

He said the work of its intelligence-led team also resulted in several people being apprehended.

SSP Russell emphasized the importance of community meetings in building trust and gathering intelligence from citizens to support the crime-reduction strategy.

Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) President, La Sonja Harrison says she remains concerned about the pace of the reconstruction works at some schools damaged by Hurricane Melissa last October.

Some 300 schools were damaged by the Category Five storm, particularly those in western Jamaica.

Following a tour of affected institutions in that region, Ms. Harrison raised concerns about tents being used for classrooms at some schools.

The Education Ministry has established, a Hurricane-Melissa-School-Infrastructure-Recovery-and-Resilience-Oversight-Committee aimed at ensuring accountability, quality assurance and transparency, regarding the repair, rehabilitation and reconstruction of public education facilities.

Speaking with IRIE FM News, Ms. Harrison says the JTA will be responding to the Ministry, regarding the appointment of a representative to the committee.

Ms. Harrison notes that some of the repair works are being impacted by issues such as material shortage.

She says these delays leave teachers to work in crammed and hot classrooms.

Ms. Harrison says despite the challenges teachers continue to give of their best.

Head of the Constabulary’s Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch (PSTEB) Senior Superintendent Lloyd Darby says police officers are monitoring crash hotspots during the busy Heroes’ weekend.

Speaking with IRIE FM News, SSP Darby noted that public holidays traditionally bring a higher risk of collisions, prompting the deployment of additional officers to manage the roadways.

He highlighted the North Coast Highway, stretching from the Mammee Bay roundabout in St. Ann to St. James as a corridor which is seeing increased monitoring.

He added that officers are also targetting party zones.

Noting a concerning trend of minors operating motorcycles and riding as pillion passengers, SSP Darby urged parents and guardians to exercise strict control.