Christopher Thomas - Sunday Gleaner Writer

Llauna Humphries, the coordinator of the Montego Bay Cancer Support Group, a retired nurse and a former cancer patient.
August 16, 2026 by Christopher Thomas - Sunday Gleaner Writer

‘They can treat us better’ - Cancer stigma alleged at CRH as patients cry for better care; WRHA rejects claims

WESTERN BUREAU: The Montego Bay Cancer Support Group (MBCSG) is sounding the alarm over what it says is a disturbing pattern of cancer patients being dismissed, delayed and treated with little compassion at Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) because of the stigma surrounding their illness. The advocacy group says patients have been turned away from emergency care, left waiting for hours or even days despite life-threatening conditions, and subjected to dismissive attitudes from some medical staff.

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Restoration work on a section of the Maggotty High School in St Elizabeth, several months after it sustained structural damage during the passage of the Category 5 Hurricane Melissa on October 28, 2025.
August 2, 2026 by Christopher Thomas

Schools in race against time - Despite damage delays, principals expect grade seven intakes to hold steady
WESTERN BUREAU: While some administrators of Hurricane Melissa-battered schools don’t anticipate any major shifts in numbers in their customary intake of new students for the upcoming academic year,…
Associate clinical psychologist Dorraine Young.
January 11, 2026 by Christopher Thomas

‘We’re just learning to make sex visible’

WESTERN BUREAU: Young people the world over are having significantly less sex than generations before them did at their age, multiple studies have shown. Sexual activity has been proven to affect…
The Accident and Emergency entrance of the Falmouth Hospital in Trelawny was extensively damaged during the passage of Hurricane Melissa.
December 21, 2025 by Christopher Thomas

‘The breeze was hitting the babies’

WESTERN BUREAU: Although Hurricane Melissa’s passage on October 28 brought destruction and death, that fateful week still marked an unforgettable milestone for many expectant mothers in western…
Dr Jacquiline Bisasor McKenzie, chief medical officer for Jamaica.
December 9, 2025 by Christopher Thomas

Oversubscribed, understaffed

WESTERN BUREAU: Despite the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ recently publicised claim that Jamaica’s doctor internship programme is currently oversubscribed, questions and doubts still remain about…