Lincoln Walters, director of the System Information Technology Unit (SITU) in the Ministry, said the video conferencing system was the only one of its kind in the public sector.

"The Ministry of Health is the only ministry currently using this system as a standard means of communication," Walters said.

The system has been used between the Ministry of Health and the Regional Health Authorities during meetings since the start of the year and is setting a business communication trend in Jamaica.

MAJOR ACHIEVEMENT

Grace Allen-Young, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, said the achievement was a major one. "This system has propelled the Ministry to the forefront of government organisations and we need to herald our administrative and technical gains alongside our health gains," Allen-Young said.

While the system is setting a better communication trend, the Ministry is claiming that it is doing so at no additional cost.

"The SITU has not spent any additional funds to make this system a reality," said Walters.

Instead the existing communication system was expanded, making it possible for the Ministry to accommodate the video and voice systems needed to enable video conferencing.

The Ministry also pointed out that video conferencing reduces the time spent travelling to regional meetings, allowing for greater efficiency and has cut cost for hosting major review meetings, by roughly 60 per cent.

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