SNOMED International is pleased to announce that Jamaica has joined the global SNOMED CT community, becoming SNOMED International’s inaugural Member from the Caribbean region. 

Jamaica, the third largest island in the Caribbean Sea, boasts a population of nearly 3 million. Currently, Jamaica is undergoing a major digital transformation of its healthcare system, spearheaded by the national EHR pilot and health data exchange platform. These cutting-edge initiatives will empower patients to access their healthcare data and streamline transitions between public and private healthcare systems. By leveraging technology to improve healthcare access and quality, Jamaica is poised to make significant strides in enhancing the well-being of its citizens, while setting a compelling example for other nations in the region to follow.

Founded in 2007 by nine charter nations, SNOMED International is a not-for-profit, member-owned and driven international organization. Jamaica’s adoption of SNOMED CT, the world’s most comprehensive health terminology, is an important part of its digital health transformation: not only does it provide access to SNOMED CT and SNOMED International’s related products and services, but it also opens the door to the broad expertise of a global community of stakeholders, including other Members, collaboration partners, researchers, policy-makers, implementers, vendors, care providers, and patients and citizens. Learn more about the varied stakeholders contributing to the use and ongoing development of SNOMED CT at www.value.snomed.org. 

Joining a community of 48 global Members, Jamaica’s Ministry of Health & Wellness will serve as the National Release Centre for SNOMED CT.  The Ministry will appoint representatives to the General Assembly and the Member Forum, the governance bodies that shape and guide SNOMED International projects and products, promote consultation and communication between SNOMED International and Members and make binding organizational decisions.

“We are thrilled to welcome our first Member of the Caribbean region,” said SNOMED International CEO Don Sweete. “The implementation of SNOMED CT in Jamaica aligns with and supports the country’s commitment to digitally transforming its health system and will contribute to improved patient outcomes for Jamaica’s citizens.”

Learn more about Jamaica’s Ministry of Health & Wellness. Visit Jamaica’s Member page on the SNOMED International website to view the country’s representatives to the Member Forum and the General Assembly.

To learn more about SNOMED International and SNOMED CT, visit www.snomed.org.  

About the Jamaican Ministry of Health & Wellness

The Ministry of Health (MOH) is the pre-eminent Government organization whose mandate is “to ensure the provision of quality health services and to promote healthy lifestyles and environmental practices.” The Ministry and its Regional Health Authorities, agencies and related organizations make up the public health system and are responsible for health care delivery across the island. Jamaica’s health vision is: “Healthy People, Healthy Environment.” It is one which envisages a health system that is client-centred and guarantees access to quality health care for every person in its population, at reasonable costs, and which takes into account the needs of the vulnerable. It is one which seeks to provide information and to educate the populace, to facilitate individuals taking responsibility for their own health, making informed decisions and adopting healthy lifestyle habits. All this, within a clean, healthy environment where families and communities actively participate and are integrated into the system of health.

About SNOMED International

SNOMED International is a not-for-profit organization that owns and develops SNOMED CT, the world's most comprehensive healthcare terminology product. We play an essential role in improving the health of humankind by determining standards for a codified language that represents groups of clinical terms. This enables healthcare information to be exchanged globally for the benefit of patients and other stakeholders. We are committed to the rigorous evolution of our products and services, to deliver continuous innovation for the global healthcare community. SNOMED International is the trading name of the International Health Terminology Standards Development Organization (IHTSDO.)