The Ministry of Health is pleased to announce that Dr. Nicole P. Dawkins will assume the position of Senior Medical Officer at St. Ann’s Bay Regional Hospital effective September 1, 2010.

Dr. Dawkins’ specialty lies in the area of Emergency Medicine. She received her core professional training in the field of Medicine at the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI).  Since her certification, her main professional experience has been in the parish of St. Ann at the St. Ann’s Bay Hospital (SABH).  She has however also worked in other parishes in Jamaica including St. Mary, Portland, Kingston and St. Andrew, and St. James in both primary and secondary care services as well as in the Greater Toronto Area of Canada.

In 2003, she became the first post-graduate specialist in Emergency Medicine to work in a rural hospital in Jamaica.  She designed developed and implemented activities in the Accident and Emergency Department that allowed it to operate within the operational policies and procedures of the Ministry of Health (MOH) for the efficient and effective functioning of the department.

In the capacity as Emergency Physician, she has provided advice to the Regional Technical Director and Senior Medical Officers of Type C Hospitals within the North East region regarding Emergency Care.

Dr. Dawkins replaces Dr. Horace Betton who recently retired from public service. He was appointed as the Senior Medical Officer in 1997 and gave 29 years of service in the government health sector.

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 Contact: MOH, Public Relations Unit Tel: 967-1561