Doha: The Supreme Education Council (SEC) has joined the nationwide public health awareness campaign launched by Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q).
Your Health First was launched earlier this year in association with the strategic partnership with Qatar Petroleum, Occidental Petroleum of Qatar Ltd (Oxy Qatar), ExxonMobil and Vodafone Qatar.
“With the start of the new school year, we thought the Supreme Education Council (SEC) should enter into a strategic partnership with the Your Health First campaign, especially because it focuses in its first stage on children and youth,” H E Saad bin Ibrahim Al Mahmoud, Minister of Education and Higher Education and Secretary General of the SEC, said.
Your Health First aims to educate both the Qatari and expatriate communities so that they can make informed, healthy, lifestyle choices. It is a five-year multi-stage awareness campaign, the first stage of which ends in December 2012. During this time, the focus will be on health information and preventive measures; simplified medical terms will be used to ensure that the public will make use of the information provided.
“We are keen to make health education part of extracurricular activities across Qatari schools by encouraging students to engage in physical activity and adopt healthy lifestyles. In return, we will reward them with certificates for their achievements and we will also support health contests. We will start by supporting a contest to be launched by Your Health First towards the end of this month with a focus on spreading health awareness among students,” Al Mahmoud said.
The first phase of the campaign covers a wide range of topics including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, psychological health, women and children’s healthcare, bone health and rheumatoid arthritis, stress and insomnia, benefits of vitamins, cancer, and healthy eating habits amongst children, teens and adults.
“Building a health culture and promoting healthy lifestyles would contribute to achieving Qatar National Vision 2030 which relies on Qatari youth, and we would continue to exert our utmost efforts to enhance the health awareness of our children and youth so they can confidently look forward to a brighter future,” Abdullah bin Khalid Al Qahtani, Minister of Public Health and Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Health said.
“We are thrilled to have the Supreme Education Council as a strategic partner to Your Health First initiative as this will help us spread awareness about healthy lifestyles among the different age groups of students, both Qataris and expatriates,” said Dr Javaid I Sheikh, Dean of WCMC-Q.
As part of the project, students will also be taught about the dangers of smoking, ways to manage stress, and measures to prevent road accidents.
WCMC-Q worked on an awareness program aired on Qatar Television during the holy month of Ramadan, as well as daily health tips via Qatar Radio. Both shed light on the most pressing health issues and the importance of prevention.
The Peninsula
