BY LYNTON AARON FILIA
MINISTRY of Health and Medical Service (MHMS) celebrated World Health Day yesterday with physical activities.
This year’s celebration is marked from April 5-7 but MHMS and World Health Organisation (WHO) in Honiara celebrated the day yesterday.
The MHMS in partnership with the WHO office in Solomon Islands joined rest of the world to mark WHO’s 70th Anniversity.
This year, World Health Day is dedicated to one of WHO’s founding principles: “The enjoyment of highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition”.
Here, MHMS and WHO held a small celebration that engaged its staff in volleyball, tug-of-war, table tennis, karate and zumba.
Director for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Department Dr Geoff Kenilorea thanked the Healthy Lifestyle committee for organising the event which engaged participation of their staffs.
Kenilorea said it should kick-start their physical activities and plans MHMS have in place for them as health workers.
“Health for everyone everywhere is very important which a concern for Ministry of Health as health workers both in clinical and public in terms of health, we must concern to people’s health everywhere and for everyone,” he adds.
Kenilorea encourages health workers to stay healthy as well, and organising such sporting activities is important for them in their physical upbringing.
He adds NCD is caused by lifestyle and its cure is lifestyle changes – and that is exercises.
“Now conventional medicine is not enough for crisis of NCD in Solomon Islands but if we come up with lifestyle as medicine for combating NCD, we’ll be good,” Kenilorea said.
World Health Day is celebrated globally under a theme “Universal coverage: Everyone, Everywhere”.
