Health ministry introduces medical complaints survey website

To give medical authorities a better grasp of the general health condition of the population, the Ministry of Health has created an anonymous online survey that is expected to detect certain diseases and health trends early.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Winston Delahaye told The Gleaner that even though the survey spans a wide number of medical conditions, the main focus, especially at this time, is on the Zika virus (ZIKV).

"It really is a significant addition to our clinical skills. What it is doing is allowing Jamaicans to feed us with symptoms so we know what's out there, even if it hasn't been brought to our attention, specifically now with ZIKV," he said.

"It will allow us to know a more realistic number of persons out there having problems."

He added: "What the online survey allows is, whether or not you attended the physician, provided you have a smartphone, Internet access or any means, you can log on to say, 'I have a rash', 'I have a fever', 'I have taken Panadol', or 'I haven't'. We can get information that is volunteered by an average Jamaican and have a feel of what is happening out there. It gives us a better option of recognising more quickly and to have a feel before even a report comes in from a physician," he said.

Persons interested in participating can visit https://nhis.mohjm.com/survey/index.php?r=survey/index&sid=462121&lang=en.