KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Ministry of Health today announced that Dr Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie has been appointed as the acting Chief Medical Officer (CMO) in the ministry effective tomorrow.

Bisasor-McKenzie replaces Dr Winton De La Haye who demits office today.

In a release today, the ministry explained that De La Haye had previously stated his intent to leave his post at the ministry to pursue other opportunities and thanked him for his tenure.

His replacement,  Bisasor-McKenzie, has 25 years of experience in the healthcare systems and recently worked on reducing the waiting time initiatives in the emergency departments that have seen improvements in patient flow in the emergency department and increased capacity at nearby health centres.

She was also the first emergency physician to be appointed as a consultant in the public sector and served as head of the accident & emergency department at the Spanish Town Hospital from 2005- 2014 until she joined the ministry as director of emergency medical services.

Dr Bisasor-McKenzie later assumed the role of principal medical officer and director, emergency disaster management and special services in August 2016.

The Chief Medical Officer Jamaica is the head of the technical services division and is the chief technical advisor on all medical and health matters to the minister of health, as well as to the Government of Jamaica.