UHWI Moves to Launch Functional Neurosurgery as West Albion Residents Demand Land Clarity

The University Hospital of the West Indies is preparing to introduce functional neurosurgery, a specialised field that would expand advanced brain care available to patients in Jamaica and was highlighted at the 23rd annual Caribbean Neurosciences Symposium, where regional and international specialists gathered to strengthen local capacity.

Functional neurosurgery covers complex procedures aimed at improving life for people with epilepsy, movement disorders, and other serious neurological conditions. Health officials say many Jamaicans have long travelled abroad for such treatment, and the new programme is intended to widen access at home, cut the need for overseas care, and keep more patients closer to family for treatment and follow-up. International partners are helping train local teams to meet high clinical standards.

Discussions around the hospital’s wider modernisation also pointed to plans for stronger cancer diagnosis and treatment, expanded emergency services, and the use of robotics and artificial intelligence to support more accurate care. Speakers stressed that digital records, staff training in new technology, and coordinated change management are central to better patient outcomes. Jamaica’s documented medical response work after Hurricane Melissa was also cited as a model other countries could study after catastrophic storms.

Separately, the Financial Services Commission reported a sharp rise in individual retirement accounts as self-employment and contract work grow. Membership in approved individual retirement schemes climbed by more than 1,000 per cent over 14 years, from just under 8,000 in 2010 to more than 90,000 last year, with those schemes holding $90.7 billion in assets at year-end. Traditional pension fund membership rose 26 per cent to nearly 85,000 over the same recent period, even as the number of plans fell.

In St. Thomas, tension remains high in West Albion after a demolition exercise left residents displaced and still seeking answers from the National Land Agency. About 35 people gathered Thursday at Grant’s Pen Primary School expecting to meet NLA officials, only to learn on arrival that the session had been cancelled without earlier notice.

The agency has said occupants were living illegally on government land earmarked for development, that notices and consultations dating to 2024 were carried out, and that 28 structures were marked for removal. Residents dispute the process, saying they were earlier told to survey plots, accept pegs, and complete forms with the prospect of future ownership. One resident said the community has funds to purchase land for $5.5 million and wants valuations and diagrams so sales can proceed. Others say they need clear documents, land status details, and a fair hearing before any further action, arguing the cancelled meeting has deepened uncertainty for families still without stable housing.