Dept appreciates role of mass media on health issues

LABUAN: The Labuan Health Department recognises the vital role played by the mass media in disseminating the island’ s health-related issues to the public.

Health awareness campaign strategies may only be successful to a degree unless they are backed by wide media coverage, notes its director, Dr Ismuni Bohari.

He said since the early days of the health department when it was first established on the island, the media had been supporting all its events.

“Therefore, the media has become partners of great relevance in the materialisation of our goals,” he said at the Health Dialogue and Media Appreciation Night on Friday.

The Labuan Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama), Information Department, Radio Television Malaysia (Labuan RTM), New Sabah Times, Daily Express, Sea Hua Daily News, Ovesea Chinese Daily News (OCDN) and Asia Times received a plaque and certificate of appreciation each from Labuan MP Datuk Rozman Isli.

Dr Ismuni stressed the media played a significant role in forming and influencing people’s attitudes and behaviour in increasing awareness on health care and disease prevention efforts.

Of particular note was the part played by news and features which reported on specific health issues, research and intervention strategies, he said.

“The appreciation night for the media is relatively small as compared to the significant contribution from media on social and health development issues,” he noted.

Meanwhile, the health department was striving to turn Labuan into a “healthy island” in keeping high-risk communicable diseases and outbreaks under check.

Dr Is mun is aid, while there had been an increase in the number of communicable diseases, it was not a worrying situation but a rather positive sign that the situation could be brought under control.

He disclosed the number of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) surged to 270 cases last year from 250 in 2016; tuberculosis (139 cases from 133); food poisoning 111 cases (no case reported in 2016); dengue (91 from 16); measles (92 from six); gonorrhoea (55 from 22); HIV/ AIDS related diseases (25 from eight); le pt os pi ros is( down to 22 from 42); syphilis (11 from eight) and malaria (only one case). - Bernama