Beyond slogans for health promotion |18 October 2019
The delegates brainstorming during the session
In a consultative meeting, organised by the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation, stakeholders deliberated a strategic approach for the future of health promotion.
The meeting was held at Avani Hotel in Barbarons on October 9 2019 an din attendance were delegates from different departments in the country, including, the agencies of the Ministry of Health, tourism department, education department, non-state organisations and several others.
The meeting was opened by Health Minister Jean Paul Adam who highlighted existing gaps in health promotion locally and many avenues for future endeavours.
He called on the attendees to be creative in their exploration of the way forward with consideration of the challenges faced within this age of accumulated media consumption.
“Successful health promotion is one of the pillars of a successful health system,” said Minister Adam. “So, we must go beyond just developing slogans and messages that are shared within the population. We must be able to break down health promotion into practical actions, for citizens, for health workers, for media practitioners; for everyone in our society to be able to deliver effective health promotion in an integrated way,” added Minister Adam.
The need for integrated coordination of health promotion was also reiterated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) representative for Seychelles, Dr Tenin Gakuruh who emphasised the “increasing importance of risk communications but also stressed the need to go beyond just health education.”
“The needs in various countries vary, but health promotion remains a key component for all. It takes different forms, and it has also brought about new areas, pertinently the area of risk communications. It has been crucial to ensure that countries have a resilient system,” Dr Gakuruh concluded.
Following the meeting a working group comprising health staff are working on drafting a strategic plan for health promotion that will inform future activities.
Some key activities conducted by the Ministry of Health include:
- My Health, My Responsibility Campaign
- School Nutrition Policy
- Workplace Wellbeing Programme
- Sugar levy on sweetened beverages
- Tobacco Control Act