KINGSTON, Jamaica — Deveta McLaren has been appointed the acting regional director for the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA).

The announcement was made in a Ministry of Health and Wellness press release on Wednesday.

Describing McLaren as a results-driven management professional with 30 years of experience spanning sales, marketing, strategic planning, revenue generation, business restructuring, and project management, the ministry said, “Her decades-long track record is one of excellent organisational and people management skills — the ability to navigate diverse stakeholder expectations, align people and processes with organisational objectives, build brand equity, and unlock growth across multiple sectors including public healthcare.”

She will oversee health services in Westmoreland, St James, Hanover and Trelawny.

Meanwhile, former regional director Andrade Sinclair has been reassigned as project lead of the Health Infrastructure Maintenance Fund at the ministry.

Sinclair will be responsible for the strategic stewardship, governance and performance oversight of the Maintenance and Resilience Fund, ensuring that investments in biomedical equipment and health infrastructure are planned, prioritised and managed in a manner that protects service continuity and patient safety.

He will support the ministry and regional health authorities in reducing equipment downtime by financing and overseeing the effective application of planned preventive maintenance and corrective maintenance programmes, without assuming operational responsibility.

The changes were announced by WRHA Chairman Eric Clarke and took effect on Monday, March 2.

Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton wished both McLaren and Sinclair all the best in their new assignments.