Caribbean News
Cancer Care Equipment Commissioned into Service at National Public Health Laboratory
Kingston, Jamaica, January 18, 2025 – A new state-of-the-art immunohistochemistry (IHC) machine, installed at the National Public Health Laboratory in Kingston, was commissioned into service on Wednesday (January 15).
The unveiling of the VENTANA® BenchMark GX, valued US$419,584.38, is intended to strengthen the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ capabilities in managing breast cancer analysis, diagnosis and treatment.
The Ministry partnered with Roche, one of the largest biotechnical companies globally, for the undertaking.
Portfolio Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, said the acquisition marks a major step in further enhancing Jamaica’s diagnostic capacity, and will support the Ministry’s efforts to improve breast cancer care in the health system.
“The need for diagnostics is a big one in our public health system, and I am prepared to say we are not where we want to be. We have acquired a few mammograms over the last year and there are others that are supposed to be coming in. We… want to ensure that the initial screening, even before lab testing, is easier to assess as we encourage more persons to access,” he stated.
While acknowledging, “We are better off today than we were [approximately] five years ago”, the Minister maintained that “it’s a journey that has to continue if we are to stem the late detection and, unfortunately, the mortality rates in terms of late detection”.
Dr. Tufton emphasised that early diagnosis is critical in providing the necessary treatment and saving lives, noting data indicating that one in 21 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer.
Dr. Tufton indicated that through the ‘Know Your Numbers’ Initiative, more than 100,000 tests were conducted. The initiative aims to
encourage more Jamaicans to get screened for lifestyle diseases.
“We are going to be doing a lot more of that as part of the policy initiative to get more in,” he said, adding that through the Ministry’s mobile health centres, more persons will have access to healthcare services in small towns and communities.
Additionally, Dr. Tufton said more will be done to normalise the concept of screening for lifestyle diseases in order to support early detection and, by extension, a longer and better quality of life, particularly through the Ministry’s primary healthcare reform programme.
Meanwhile, Dr. Tufton said the work undertaken at the National Public Health Laboratory is crucial in providing diagnostics for the tests that have been undertaken through various programmes.
“Right now, on a monthly basis, some 40,000 samples are collected [and] some 200,000 tests are conducted… using approximately 20 machines which essentially provide the critical diagnosis for Jamaicans right across the length and breadth of the country as to their health status, and that is done by 250… employees,” he informed.
Dr. Tufton also indicated that the Ministry is moving towards having adequate diagnostic equipment within all the necessary health facilities as part of “helping or supporting the screening and the determination process as to what the status of the health of an individual is”.
Additionally, he said the Ministry is introducing a policy that will result in the long-term engagement of service contractors to repair and maintain equipment at health facilities.
Meanwhile, Consultant Haemato-oncologist at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH), Dr. Joye Taylor-Houston, said accurate and early cancer diagnosis is essential in the fight against the disease.
“By improving access to tests, we can enhance patient care and outcomes through early diagnosis and, therefore, reduce the risk of the disease’s recurrence,” she stated.
Dr.Taylor-Houston said the oncology community is committed to the cause of providing comprehensive cancer care that meets the needs of patients.
“This new immunohistochemistry equipment will assist us in providing this level of care,” she added.
Disease Area Strategy Director, Roche Caribbean, Central America and Venezuela, Juan Cruz, said the equipment’s provision will enable Jamaica to optimise the national breast cancer testing regime and improve biomarker testing and diagnosis.
“This collaboration is another important step in the country’s commitment to having the required diagnostic capacity for a personalised approach to breast cancer, continuing the work that we began since 2015,” he said.
General Manager, Roche Caribbean, Central America and Venezuela, Alvaro Soto, acknowledged Jamaica being one of the first Caribbean countries to commence local IHC and continue this process to ensure precise cancer diagnostics.
“This milestone underscores the country’s commitment to enhancing healthcare outcomes through advanced technology. Achieving precise and early cancer diagnosis is crucial in the fight against this disease. With this new equipment, we are optimistic about the significant improvements in patient care,” he said.
Roche’s investment in the installation, maintenance and provision of test reagents for the equipment represents 86 per cent of the total cost.
The remaining 13.52 per cent allocated by the Health Ministry is for test reagents.
CONTACT: CHRIS PATTERSON
Release: JIS
Photo Caption: Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton (second right), listens as Senior Medical Technologist at the National Public Health Laboratory in Kingston, Lincoln Fisher (second left), explains the functions of the new state-of-the-art VENTANA® BenchMark GX immunohistochemistry equipment, which was installed at the facility and commissioned into service on Wednesday (January 15). Also listening (from left) are Disease Area Strategy Director, Roche Caribbean, Central America and Venezuela, Juan Cruz; and Director, National Laboratory Services, Dr. Marline Tapper.
Photographer: Michael Sloley
By Deandrea Hamilton | Magnetic Media
October 14, 2025 – It’s being called political theatre — but for citizens, constitutional watchdogs, and democracy advocates across the Caribbean, it feels far more serious. Within a single week, two national parliaments — in Trinidad and Tobago and St. Kitts and Nevis — descended into turmoil as opposition members stormed out in protest, accusing their Speakers of bias, overreach, and abuse of parliamentary procedure.
For observers, the walkouts signal a deeper problem: erosion of trust in the very institutions meant to safeguard democracy. When Speakers are viewed as political enforcers instead of neutral referees, parliaments stop functioning as chambers of debate and start performing as stages for power and spectacle — with citizens left wondering who, if anyone, is still accountable.
October 6: St. Kitts Parliament Erupts
The first walkout erupted in Basseterre on October 6, 2025, when Dr. Timothy Harris, former Prime Minister and now Opposition Leader,
led his team out of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly in a protest that stunned the chamber.
The flashpoint came as the Speaker moved to approve more than three years’ worth of unratified parliamentary minutes in one sitting — covering 27 meetings and three national budgets — without individual review or debate.
Dr. Harris called the move “a flagrant breach of the Constitution and parliamentary tradition,” warning that the practice undermines transparency and accountability. “No serious parliament can go years without approving a single set of minutes,” he said after exiting the chamber.
The Speaker defended the decision as administrative housekeeping, but critics were unconvinced, branding the move a “world record disgrace.” The opposition’s walkout triggered renewed calls for the Speaker’s resignation and sparked a wider public discussion about record-keeping, accountability, and respect for parliamentary norms in St. Kitts and Nevis.
October 10: Trinidad Opposition Follows Suit
Four days later, on October 10, 2025, the Opposition United National Congress (UNC) in Trinidad and Tobago staged its own walkout from the House of Representatives in Port of Spain.
The UNC accused the Speaker of partisan bias, claiming she had repeatedly blocked urgent questions, ignored points of order, and allowed government members to breach standing orders without consequence.
“The Speaker has failed in her duty to act impartially,” the Opposition declared in a statement. “Parliament is not the property of any political party or Presiding Officer.”
The dramatic exit was seen as a culmination of months of rising tension and frustration, with opposition MPs arguing that parliamentary rules were being selectively applied to silence dissenting voices.
Political analyst Dr. Marcia Ferdinand described the twin walkouts as “a warning sign that parliamentary democracy in the Caribbean is teetering on the edge of performative politics.”
“When chairs become political shields rather than constitutional referees,” she said, “democracy becomes theatre, not governance.”
A Pattern Emerging
While St. Kitts and Trinidad are very different political environments, both incidents point to the same regional fault line: the perception that Speakers — the guardians of parliamentary order — are no longer impartial.
In Westminster-style systems like those across the Caribbean, the Speaker’s authority depends not on power but on public confidence in fairness. Once that credibility erodes, parliamentary control collapses into confrontation.
Governance experts say the implications are serious: eroded trust between government and opposition, declining public confidence in state institutions, and growing voter cynicism that “rules” are flexible tools of political advantage.
Why It Matters
Parliamentary walkouts are not new in the Caribbean, but what makes these recent events different is their frequency and intensity — and
the regional echo they’ve created. Social media has amplified images of lawmakers storming out, with citizens from Barbados to Belize questioning whether the same erosion of decorum could be happening in their own legislatures.
Analysts warn that if this perception takes hold, it risks diminishing the moral authority of parliamentary democracy itself.
“Once opposition MPs believe the rules are rigged, and once citizens believe Parliament is just performance,” said one Caribbean governance researcher, “you’ve lost the most valuable currency in democracy — trust.”
Restoring Balance
Political reformers across the region are calling for tighter Standing Order enforcement, independent parliamentary service commissions, and training to strengthen Speaker neutrality. Civil society leaders say the public must also play its part by demanding transparency and refusing to normalize partisan manipulation of parliamentary procedure.
Whether these twin walkouts become catalysts for reform — or simply another episode of Caribbean political theatre — will depend on what happens next inside those chambers.
For now, democracy watchers agree on one thing: when opposition leaders feel the only way to be heard is to walk out, the entire democratic house — not just its Speaker — is in danger of collapse.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
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