UK emergency medical team working in Jamaica

The first mobile clinics operated by a 12-person team from the UK opened yesterday in Jackson Town, Ulster Spring, and Wait-A-Bit, Trelawny.

The team, made up of general practitioners, nurses, midwives, and logistics experts will deliver life-saving care and support recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa in communities where facilities have been damaged or destroyed. This includes urgent care for injuries and infections, maternal health needs, and referral of the most serious cases to hospital for further treatment. The UK Emergency Medical Team (UK EMT) was deployed following an official request from the Government of Jamaica.

This package comes after the UK mobilised a comprehensive package of humanitarian assistance to support Jamaica's recovery. To date, the UK government has delivered 6,560 shelter kits, 1,100 hygiene kits and more than 6,700 solar lanterns, reaching more than 33,000 people affected by the hurricane. The Royal Navy's HMS Trent was also deployed to assist with local recovery efforts, with British personnel helping to restore vital infrastructure including undertaking emergency repairs at the Falmouth Hospital in the parish. British High Commissioner to Jamaica Alicia Herbert said that the UK EMT will play a vital role in restoring essential healthcare services and supporting affected communities.

UK EMT is the UK's official humanitarian health response mechanism, backed by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and operated by UK-Med.