The UK has deployed a 12-strong Emergency Medical Team to Jamaica at the Government of Jamaica’s request, following Hurricane Melissa. According to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, mobile clinics began operating on Monday 17 November 2025 to relieve pressure on overstretched services and provide immediate care in storm-affected communities.
Operated by UK-Med and funded by the FCDO, the UK Emergency Medical Team will deliver direct care in areas where facilities are damaged or inaccessible. The remit covers urgent treatment for injuries and infections, maternal health support, and referral of severe cases to hospital, aligning activity with the Ministry of Health and Wellness.
The first mobile clinics opened in Jackson Town, Ulster Spring and Wait-A-Bit in Trelawny parish. The model is designed to reach dispersed populations quickly, stabilise patients, and maintain continuity of essential services while fixed clinics and hospitals restore capacity.
Team composition reflects a surge primary care capability: general practitioners, nurses, midwives and logistics specialists. UK EMT is the United Kingdom’s official humanitarian health mechanism and deploys in coordination with affected governments and the World Health Organization to meet recognised clinical standards.
The medical deployment sits within a wider UK support package detailed by the UK Government. To date, 6,560 shelter kits, 1,100 hygiene kits and more than 6,700 solar lanterns have been delivered, reaching over 33,000 people. The Royal Navy’s HMS Trent has assisted local authorities, including emergency repairs at Falmouth hospital to help restore critical infrastructure.
Public health measures are being scaled alongside clinical care. With the Pan American Health Organization, the UK is supporting facility restoration and disease surveillance. With UNICEF, support focuses on safe water, sanitation and hygiene to reduce the heightened risk of water- and vector-borne diseases after flooding. Mosquito nets and repellents are being provided to reduce exposure to malaria and dengue, as set out in the government communication.
The FCDO and the UK Health Security Agency are also supporting the Caribbean Public Health Agency. Funding covers diagnostics, laboratory capacity and infection prevention materials, and enables deployment of regional public health specialists to monitor trends in shelters and advise on WASH improvements. This approach builds on existing UK–Caribbean health security partnerships.
Minister for the Caribbean Chris Elmore said the UK’s action is intended to provide vital treatment while local services work under difficult conditions and recover from the storm. UK-Med chief executive David Wightwick said the surge will help keep essential services running and support Jamaica’s Ministry of Health and Wellness as the system is restored. Both comments were issued via the FCDO release.
For health managers and humanitarian coordinators, the deployment provides short-term surge capacity for primary and maternal care, helps triage and refer complex cases, and supports early detection of outbreaks as surveillance scales up. Key variables to watch include clinic caseloads, referral throughput to hospitals, the pace of facility repairs, and reported incidence of water- and vector-borne disease.