Education Ministry helping to tackle NCDs with Health Fair
June 12, 2014, By KNews, Filed Under News, Source
Emphasising that the Ministry of Health’s efforts to combat chronic non-communicable diseases (NCD) is not being done in isolation, the Ministry of Education yesterday spearheaded a health fair designed to detect NCDs, primarily among its staffers.
Venued at its 26 Brickdam, Georgetown headquarters, the Ministry collaborated with the Health Ministry to offer a variety of health services, including blood pressure testing, blood glucose testing, Body Mass Index testing, and substance abuse and HIV testing. In addition to the dissemination of information on food and nutrition, and sexual and reproductive health, the event also allowed staffers to donate blood and be vaccinated.
All services were offered at no cost and were even accessed by some curious passersby.
Scenes from the Ministry of Education’s Health Fair yesterday
According to Ms. Dionne Browne, who is attached to the Education Ministry’s School Health, Nutrition and HIV/AIDS Unit, yesterday’s event cannot be considered a new feature since it was first initialised in May of 2012 when the Ministry launched its ‘Healthy Work Space’ programme. This programme, Browne pointed out, is one that seeks to ensure that all employees, at all levels, are aware of their health status.
Moreover, moves have been made consistently, she disclosed, to partner closely with the Ministry of Health to ensure that a number of health services are available to employees. “The whole intent is to ensure that these services are available on site so our staffers can just come and get checked out to be aware of their health,” said Browne.
She pointed out too that the health fair yesterday was therefore geared towards ensuring that physical education is added to the programme, an aspect that is being undertaken in collaboration with the Education Ministry’s Allied Arts Unit. “We have now boosted this programme to ensure that employees not only have their health status checked, but we are also working towards their physical activity status as well,” Browne said.
As such, Browne disclosed that the Education Ministry is currently on a mission to put in place “a comprehensive wellness programme”, even as she pointed out that, while there are some related services being offered at the level of the schools, “we are trying to bring this over to the employees…It is a lead by example situation so that everybody will be aware of their health status.”
Already the Ministry has in place a vision and hearing screening programme, as well as regular dental examination services that are offered to schools across the country. Such undertakings are well supported by the Ministry of Health in the quest to ensure the institution of School Health Clubs in all secondary schools, Browne noted.
But in order to reach all employees throughout the various departments that comprise the Education Ministry, Browne disclosed that similar events, as was held yesterday, will be venued at various locations during the course of the year. “Today we are at 26 Brickdam but perhaps six months down the line we will be at NCERD…so that all of our employees will be able to benefit directly,” Browne noted.
The Health Fair kicked off yesterday morning with the launch of a physical education programme which was coordinated by the Allied Arts Unit. According to Inga Henry of the Unit, for some time now the issue of physical education has been gaining attention. As such, she said that it was seen as important to engage staffers in physical activities as part of the efforts to promote health. This was being done in light of the fact that “one of the ways to prevent non-communicable diseases and help manage it well is physical activities.” However, Henry emphasised that there is also a crucial need to encourage healthy eating among staffers.