Programme Director
Ministers of Health from the SADC region present here
MECs of health present here
Members of Parliament
Senior officials
Members of the Khayelitsha community and Cape Flats in general
This is indeed a great day for us to be hosting this important day on behalf of the sub-region as a whole.
As we all know by now, our country will in the next few weeks be hosting the biggest sporting event in the whole world – the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup. We are excited and we are looking forward to this event with a great deal of enthusiasm. One of the most important legacies that we want the soccer world cup to leave for us is the culture of physical activity and healthy lifestyles among our youth in particular and all of us in general. I am very encouraged by what I see happening elsewhere in Limpopo (Giyani) where there are teams of old ladies who are now playing football. May I take this opportunity to challenge residents of Khayelitsha to also do the same!
Our government continues to stress the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle and making informed healthy choices. It is imperative that health information and health education is available at all health facilities, in the workplace, at schools and tertiary institutions.
The World Health Organisation places the burden of non-communicable diseases in South Africa at two or three times higher than that of developed countries. Cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, respiratory diseases and cancers contributed to 12 percent of the overall disease burden.
It is very important that we, in collaboration with our partners, continue to raise awareness within the communities, about the prevention of chronic diseases of lifestyle, heart diseases and stroke. Every health care provider, irrespective of his/her rank, is charged to assist people to better understand their health and personal risk for non-communicable diseases.
However, providing information and raising awareness of the common modifiable risk factors will not really achieve a healthy population unless, every individual out there makes a conscious decision to make positive changes to his/her current lifestyle.
To practise a healthy lifestyle on a daily basis means that we must make this a habit. Only then can we look forward to retaining our health as we get older. I strongly encourage communities to practice behaviours that enhance health; working actively like taking regular brisk walks, walking up the stairs, doing manual work. This can contribute to good health if it is done vigorously and consistently. In particular, I wish to appeal to our young people to start taking their health seriously. Avoid the use of alcohol and drugs, do not smoke cigarettes and stay far from sex as sex is for older people who are responsible enough.
The situations that influences lack of access to safe areas for physical activity, lack of physical education in schools, increased television viewing by children and adults and ‘play station’ and computer access should be dealt with because they increase people’s risk of becoming overweight or obese.
Many of the risks associated with obesity are reduced when a sustained five to 10 percent weight-losses is achieved in overweight and obese people. These conditions are among the few risk factors that aggravate the chronic diseases of lifestyles which are harmful because they can lead to mortality. We therefore discourage the sedentary lifestyle because of its detriment of one’s health.
As we have seen this morning our campaign started with health walk, this is a symbolic way of emphasising your community to engage in regular exercise. We recommend that you exercise for at least 30 minutes, daily (five times a week). Do it in a way of having fun and choose a form of exercise that you enjoy and stick to it. However, it is always better to exercise with friend and family for support.
The extra benefits of being physical active are; lowering risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes, cancer, hypertension, stress and to improve the full functioning of our bodies like having quality sleep.
Coupled with adopting physical activity in our daily lives we need to monitor our eating habits. Today, we are living at a fast pace lifestyles as communities who frequently consume fast foods, which are very high in fat and low in fibre causing more health problems to many individuals. I have a few tips from our integrated nutrition programme, their food guidelines educate me and you that we should consume little fats, eat less sugar and salt; eat plenty of vegetables and fruit; eat lots of fibre wholegrain food, beans and drink lots of clean safe water.
Additionally, within the healthy lifestyles programme the Department of Health have been empowering communities with knowledge on different tobacco products; which is deadly in any form and disguise like; pipes, snuff, smokeless, cigars, clove, bidies, snus/snuff. These are one of the platforms and the right time for me to provide honest and accurate information of these dangerous forms. Uninformed families and individuals are at risk to use products that carry harmful substances that cause chronic diseases.
Many people, including children, are exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke, also known as passive smoking. There is evidence aligning passive smoking to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, lung cancer and other respiratory diseases in adults and respiratory diseases, ear infection and sudden infant death syndrome in children, to name a few of passive smoking's harmful effects. Passive smoking is a health problem that requires society's active effort.
Although, in South Africa we have one of the most stringent tobacco laws in the world and tabled in the Tobacco Products Control Amendment Bill. We had to tighten the law even further to close all the loopholes. In particular, we have increased the age limit to 18 years, we are also tightening controls at the point of sales, and we now propose picture warnings on packets of cigarette to cater for people that cannot read. That is how serious government is in this regard.
I also would like to take this opportunity to call on health seeking behaviour to all South African citizens. Health officials are always available for all of you and will strive to provide and optimal health services. Within the department of health we provide primary health care free of charge; when visiting the clinic, one can request the health care provider to test one’s blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels.
We also provide youth programmes to mention a few; we provide mental and substance abuse, Life skills, integrated nutrition, health promoting schools, peer education and reproductive health.
In conclusion I would like to call for communities to be active participants in achieving positive behaviour change. You should be sources of knowledge and positive influence to each other. Mobilise and coordinate you existing resources; establish partnerships in order to address your specific health issues and gain good impacts. Work towards integrating your activities and sustain your current projects.
As we are doing with the fight against HIV and AIDS, let us also join hands in launching a concerted campaign against non-communicable diseases. If we fail in doing this, there is every chance that our nation will be robbed of its future.
Thank you very much.
Issued by: Department of Health
26 February 2010
