Following a technical meeting with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Switzerland, Jamaica’s Minister of Health & Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, CD, MP has announced that a technical team will be visiting the island in the coming months, as the Government of Jamaica, through the Ministry of Health & Wellness seeks to expand cancer care across the island over the next two years.

As part of the visit, the IAEA will be assessing the current LINAC facilities in Kingston and Montego Bay and to create a roadmap to upgrading these locations and establishing a new facility, possibly in central Jamaica. The team will support the Ministry’s thrust to extend mammography services in more hospitals and explore the possibility of this service being offered in some health centres across the country.

The Minister also noted that training of the healthcare team, including radiographers, will also form a critical part of the mission and the IAEA team has been asked to include a component that will address the maintenance and servicing of the machinery involved in cancer care.

The 79th World Health Assembly is being held in Geneva, Switzerland, from May 18-23, 2026. World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of World Health Organization (WHO).