Black River Hospital nears official reopening after Hurricane Melissa repairs

The Black River Hospital in St. Elizabeth is close to an official reopening, Health and Wellness Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton announced on Thursday at a Health Hurricane Response Programme working breakfast with members of parliament from western Jamaica.

The hospital suffered severe structural and water damage when Category 5 Hurricane Melissa struck in October 2025, affecting its roof, wards and power systems. A seawall held back the storm surge, and the roof has been rebuilt as a concrete slab said to be strong enough to survive winds well beyond a Category 5. Rehabilitation is complete, but Tufton said the location itself remains under review. “Currently, we're doing ecological studies supported by the IDB to determine suitability of location and what may need to happen if we were to relocate,” he said. MPs from the five parishes Melissa damaged attended the briefing on the wider restoration and modernisation of public health facilities.

The Education Transformation Oversight Committee reported that 43 per cent of the 365 recommendations in the Jamaica Education Transformation Commission report have been implemented, up from 37 per cent three months ago. Chairman Dr. Adrian Stokes told the committee's quarterly press conference on Thursday that more than 200 initiatives are underway, led by governance, teaching and learning, and technical and vocational training. He expects 53 per cent by March 2027 and 65 per cent by the end of the 2027-28 fiscal year, with full implementation targeted for fiscal year end 2031.

Tax Administration Jamaica will open selected offices on Saturday, July 25, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., among them Constant Spring in St. Andrew, Lucea, Falmouth, Montego Bay, Mandeville, May Pen, Morant Bay and St. Ann's Bay; Portmore opens from 9:00 a.m. Motor vehicle transactions, driver's licence renewals, property tax payments and TRN applications are available, and several of those services can also be done online.

Consumer research for the quarter ending June 2026 found many Jamaicans delaying home and vacation purchases because of the cost of living, though vehicle-buying intentions remain strong. Market Research Services chairman Don Anderson tied that to weak public transport, which leans on nearly 40,000 taxi operators and the Jamaica Urban Transit Company. He said households receiving remittances dropped from a peak of 38 per cent five years ago to 27 per cent last quarter, while consumer confidence fell 2.3 per cent, an improvement on the 5.7 per cent first-quarter slide.

Petrojam raised fuel prices, with E10 87 up $3.06 to $204.40 per litre and E10 90 up $4.50 to $213.26, before retail markups.

Regionally, Trinidad and Tobago Education Minister Dr. Michael Dowlath announced that the Pearl programme, which diagnoses hearing and visual impairments in children from age four, begins in September 2026.

In sport, 76 Jamaican athletes will contest 10 disciplines at the 23rd Commonwealth Games, which opened Thursday in Scotland with 74 nations competing. Racing United FC named Trinidadian Denzel Theobald as head coach.