The national prevention campaign against Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), a joint initiative of the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life, and the Ministry of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare, was launched yesterday at the Roche Bois Social Welfare Centre.
The campaign aims at sensitising and educating the public against the risk related factors, complications and prevention measures of NCDs. It comprises a series of activities namely screening for NCDs, breast cervical, vision, cholesterol, and counselling and health education.
Present at the launching ceremony, the Minister of Health and Quality of Life, Dr Anwar Husnoo, underlined that an early detection of NCDs is fundamental to prevent diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cancer and their related complications. He added that currently some 250 000 persons are suffering from blood pressure, 200 000 persons from diabetes and 2 500 from cancer. The population, he stressed, should adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle as well as practice sports to improve the management of NCDs, and promote the health status of the population.
Minister Husnoo highlighted that NCDs is the leading cause of death in Mauritius, and added that this campaign will help raise awareness of NCDs at national level and make Mauritius a physically active and healthy nation. He also pointed out that his Ministry is continuously working on programmes to provide free medical check-ups to the public as well as to encourage the population to practise physical activities and adopt healthy eating habits.
Moreover, he urged the population to take full advantage of the facilities put at their disposal and to encourage their family members and people of their locality to do regular medical tests for an early detection and timely treatment so as to avoid the risk of premature deaths.
Source: Government of Mauritius