As we celebrate the Christmas season I want to wish all health workers peace, goodwill and happiness during this special time of year. As customary, Christmas is the season where we seek to spend quality time with friends and families and while the majority of Jamaicans will be celebrating with their families and friends, thousands of our health care workers will be in our health facilities taking care of the sick, in the fields and at our ports of entries providing the necessary health services to protect our country.
Despite the many obstacles faced in the past year, we are grateful for the tremendous gains we have made and as your new Minister I want to reassure everyone that we remain committed to our goals and to providing quality health care to our clients.
While we work to tackle some of the systemic issues, we are mindful that there are several obstacles that lie ahead; every Jamaican must be aware of the imminent threat of the Zika Virus Infection, which is another mosquito borne disease. This new vector-borne disease must be taken seriously. It is not a matter of if but when zika will be introduced into Jamaica so preparation is vital and I am using this opportunity to call upon all staff members to help to educate friends, families, acquaintances and even strangers about the zika virus and participate in the effort to rid your surroundings of mosquito breeding sites.
I want to use this opportunity to thank everyone for their hard work and for going beyond the call of duty. I also want to thank our local and international partners for their support throughout the year and look forward to our continued partnership. As we reflect on the true meaning of Christmas I wish for you all the best for the season as we look forward to continue to work as a team in the New Year.