Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health Dr Kevin Harvey said Jamaica has come a far way in gaining improvements in sexual and reproductive health over the years.

"The total fertility rate, for example, has moved from as high as 5.5, in 1970, to 2.3 presently, and that is as a result of a combination of various interventions and stakeholder partnerships. We have also been able to sustain the HIV-prevalence rate among the general population at 1.8 per cent," Harvey said.

Harvey was speaking at the opening ceremony for the three-day workshop on logistics, warehousing and forecasting for reproductive health commodities in the Caribbean, put on by the United Nations Population Fund, in collaboration with the ministry of health.

The workshop was held at the Courtleigh Hotel and Suites, St Andrew, August 11 to 13, and involved participants from Caribbean countries.

The workshop is a part of the global programme to enhance reproductive health commodity security, which seeks to equip key partners in the health services with the knowledge and skills to develop effective action plans, forecast commodity needs at the country level, and identify undeserved populations.

Harvey said the workshop is a welcome initiative as, "it will enable us to better manage and plan to make adequate supplies of contraceptives available to our population, thus empowering persons to make better decisions with respect to their right to sexual and reproductive health".