Govt Works With Corporate Sector To Promote Nutrition, Physical Wellness

The initiative complements the ministry’s objective in terms of eradicating NCD’s through educating people and getting them to take responsibility of their health.

Encouraging healthy lifestyles among the Fijian people through the public-private partnership reached another milestone at the weekend. The Minister for Health and Medical Services Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete highlighted this development during the launch of Courts Health and Wellness month at Courts Nakasi, on Saturday.

Dr Waqainabete said the fight against Non-Communicable Disease (NCDs) was a battle which could not be fought alone.

“It needs a collaborative partnership between nations, communities, Government and the corporate sector, non-government organisations, faith-based oganisation, corporate sector organisations, between the education and health sector and also within our families,” Dr Waqainabete said.

“The Government, through the Ministry of Health and Medical Services continues to nurture a multispectral collaboration on our war against NCDs in Fiji. “One approach is through intergovernmental approach to strengthen network and support; and the others through public private and collaboration with other sectors like faith-based organisations and corporate organisations. “This launching is an excellent example of a collaboration between Government and corporate sector to promote nutrition and physical wellness.”

This is the Ministry of Health and Medical Services third year of supporting the initiative because it complements the ministry’s objective in terms of eradicating NCD’s through educating people and getting them to take responsibility of their health.

The four major types of NonCommunicable Diseases are cardiovascular diseases (such as heart attacks and stroke), cancers and chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and diabetes.

The youngest diabetic patient in Fiji is a 12-year-old.

Courts chief executive officer PL Munasinghe said the objectives of the Health and Wellness Programme was twofold.

“One is to create awareness to make people realise that NCDs can be avoided by making the right choices and secondly, encourage people to take regular medicinal tests for early detection of the onset of NCDs,” he said. “In April we will commence our company’s – “Health is Wealth – Wellness Programme.”

It has a three-pronged objective. Optimising body weight: They will measure the weight of each of the company staff member on a regular basis and provide ongoing advice to optimise weight and Body Mass Index (BMI).

Providing instructions on good diet: Primarily these instructions will centre on reducing the three deadly whites from the diet; sugar, salt and starch.

Instructions on the benefits of undertaking a regular form of exercise. Edited by Percy Kean