Health ministry launches committees on ageing policy, AI

The Ministry of Health and Wellness has convened two new expert committees to shape policy on population ageing and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare.

The two committees – one addressing demographic pressures, the other technological change – signal the ministry’s attempt to navigate the twin challenges of an ageing population and rapid advances in medical technology.

The bodies, first announced in Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton’s 2025 Sectoral Presentation, held their inaugural meeting on February 10 and are expected to guide policy and programme decisions over the next year.

Tufton said the Ageing Policy Committee would guide the development of “a comprehensive, evidence-based framework for the care of older persons,” aligned with the ministry’s life-course approach. “Its work will contribute to strengthening primary health care services for older persons across the health system,” he said.

GREATER ATTENTION TO MENOPAUSE

Menopause and andropause –conditions frequently overlooked in public-health planning –will receive greater attention, according to Tufton.

The perimenopausal period is one of those issues that affects the well-being and productivity of women, he said. The ministry will explore the availability of holistic management in the public sector by first “increasing knowledge and awareness among healthcare workers and equipping them to educate the public at the primary care visits.”

The Ageing Policy Committee, chaired by Professor Denise Eldemire Shearer, includes specialists in ageing, women’s health, social work and nursing, alongside ministry officials. Representatives from the National Council for Senior Citizens and the ministry’s Policy Planning and Development Division will join shortly.

The second body – the AI-TECH Council of Experts – will examine how artificial intelligence can be deployed responsibly within Jamaica’s healthcare system.

Tufton said its mandate includes assessing global trends and advising on systems “utilising AI technology to address cross border treatment support, including with radiology services; lifestyle-linked medical profile predictability; community-based Screening; homecare for the chronically ill and ageing; ongoing monitoring and assessment; and any other new trends and practices ethically acceptable for healthcare delivery.”

The council brings together academics and practitioners from the University of the West Indies, the University of Miami, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the University Hospital of the West Indies and Jamaica’s healthcare leadership. It is chaired by Professor Rubin Pillay, with Dr Stephen Johnson serving as vice-chair and secretariat.

“Drawing on global evidence and Jamaica’s health-system realities, we have identified some areas which represent practical, high-value entry points and where we can have immediate impact,” the minister said. These include community-based non-communicable disease screening, cancer detection, support for an ageing population, health-workforce augmentation and improved public-health surveillance.