The Deputy Minister of Health Dr Gwen Ramokgopa together with members of the Nzo family will officiate the Environmental Health Excellence Alfred Nzo Award ceremony to honour and acknowledge deserving, hard working Environmental Health Practitioners of South Africa who have made a difference in their respective communities.
These practitioners have contributed to the improvement of the quality of life of communities and towards the development, recognition and transformation of environmental health services. This is part of the activities lined up to for the commemoration of the World Environmental Health Day which is commemorated annually on 26 September 2013.
Categories of the awards to be presented in this ceremony are:
- Best innovation in environmental health;
- Excellence in environmental health related research;
- Excellence in port health services provision;
- Excellence in support role: Environmental health assistant;
- Most outstanding in community projects.
South Africa is experiencing a quadruple burden of disease mainly impacting upon the poor and most vulnerable groups, and this will be exacerbated by environmental health hazards as it is in all developing countries.
Environmental health is an essential element in healthy population. Services include food safety, sanitation, monitoring of water quality, protection of indoor and outdoor air quality; control of communicable diseases, inspection of premises and port health.
Members of the media are invited to cover the event as follows:
Venue: Turfontein Race course, Johannesburg
Date: Thursday, 26 September 2013
Time: 19h00 to 22h00
Enquiries:
Khutso Rabothata, Media and Communication Manager
Cell: 072 992 7171
E-mail: RabotS@health.gov.za
