People walking near the Law Courts in Valletta yesterday morning were in for a bit of a treat, as University of Malta medical students distributed free fruit and provided information on a healthy diet and lifestyle as part of the celebrations to mark World Health Day.
World Health Day, which was first celebrated in 1950, is celebrated annually on 7 April.
Besides handing out fruit, the Health Ministry and the Malta Medical Students Association (MMSA) took the time yesterday to distribute leaflets and information in aid of promoting the importance of a healthy lifestyle.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) decided to focus on the urbanisation and health for this year’s World Health Day, calling on cities across the world to open up streets for health activities.
This practice has also caught up in Malta, with various councillors and mayors taking the time yesterday at the Health Ministry to talk about some activities and incentives which encourage a healthier lifestyle and which are taking place in the coming weeks in their localities.
Valletta mayor Aleixei Dingli said that fruit will be distributed on a regular basis to children attending the Valletta primary school, stands will be erected in various places across Valletta to encourage visitors to take their Body Mass Index (BMI) and blood pressure, while informative seminars will soon take place with the elderly, disabled and those suffering from dementia in Valletta on the importance of healthy living.
For ten weeks in a row, Ian Borg, mayor of Dingli, said that the village has organised Sunday walks which, besides encouraging a healthy lifestyle have at the same time united the village community, with participants increasing in numbers every Sunday.
Spokespersons on behalf of other localities, such as Santa Lucija, which now enjoys a running track next to a recreational park in the village, and Ghaxaq, whose council has constructed a mini-football pitch to be used freely at all times by anyone in the locality, have agreed to close the villages’ roads for a few hours in some mornings next month to entice youngsters to play in the streets in a safe environment.
Taking the time to say a few words at the Health Ministry yesterday was Peter Micallef, parliamentary assistant to Health Minister Joe Cassar.
“The focus of the WHO this year is heavily related to life in Malta, as there are 1,247 persons for every square kilometre, making the country the most densely populated of all EU states.
“Besides providing information to students, adults and the elderly on the importance of exercise, a healthy diet and how vital it is to cut down on vices such as alcohol and tobacco, more must be done to counteract the obesity problem in Malta.
“Local councils have caught onto this idea, and are continuously encouraging their residents to allocate a little bit of time in their weekly diary to take part in some form of physical exercise or another,” said Dr Micallef.
This year’s World Health Day is of greater significance to Malta, as a student on behalf of the MMSA said that the seventh edition of the European Regional Meeting (EURegME) is currently being held in Malta.
The student said that EuRegMe provides an opportunity for targeted discussion among individuals and students from over 25 countries, each of whom contributes their unique expertise and experiences in relation to the medical world.
The conference will come to an end on Saturday and is taking place at the San Antonio Hotel in Qawra.