AN ART CONTEST FOR YOUTH TO HELP RAISE HEALTH AWARENESS
The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHP) recently introduced an art competition to raise awareness on lifestyle-related medical conditions and tap into young people’s creativity and innovativeness.
The ‘Art for Health’ competition seeks to help realise the objective of UAE Vision 2021 aimed at building a world-class health sector with robust preventive measures to reduce the cases of lifestyle-related diseases such as obesity, heart ailment and diabetes.
To establish a globally accepted local health system, AbdulRahman bin Mohammed Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention, said: “The ministry is continuously strengthening its preventive measures, launching programmes and building a healthcare system based on UAE Vision 2021, the National Agenda, the Government Excellence System, Smart Government Initiative, the National Strategy for Innovation, and Sustainable Development Strategy 2030.”
He said that the competition underscores the role of the arts, and youth, the country’s future leaders, in delivering relevant social messages to wider members of the local society and various community segments about chronic diseases.
Dr Hussein Abdel-Rahman Rand, assistant undersecretary for Health Clinics and Centres, said the competition is also aligned with the ministry’s initiatives in promoting healthier lifestyles in local communities; providing comprehensive and integrated healthcare solutions delivered in innovative and sustainable ways; and preventing the spread of diseases in cooperation with its partners.
“The ministry and its partners formulated the National Strategy for the Control of Non-Communicable Diseases 2017-2021. The national socio-economic framework envisions a world-class local health system and a broader medical coverage to improve the domestic sector based on approved meth-
The competition underscores the role of the arts, and youth, the country’s future leaders, in delivering relevant social messages to wider members of the local society and various community segments about chronic diseases.” AbdulRahman bin Mohammed Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention
ods such as the national lifestyle indicators, combating obesity in children and reducing the mortality rate among people with heart disease and diabetes,” he said.
Dr Rand further stated that the art competition aims to encourage young people to come up with ideas in relation to the UAE’s health sector. According to him, positive health behaviours contribute significantly to the reduction of chronic diseases. How to participate Dr Fadila Mohammed Sharif, director of Health Education and Promotion, noted that the competition is an innovative way to raise awareness and encourage the youth to support and make a difference in the ministry’s efforts in promoting healthy lifestyle.
She said the contest is open to people aged 18 to 30. “Those who wish to participate in the competition must register on its official website and choose the categories — film, infographics, photography, or graphics — and submit or upload their entries online.”
All entries will go through public voting as well as rigorous assessment by a technical committee. They will choose the top three entries for each category, then the winners will be announced. asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com