CHIEF Executive Officer of the National Health Fund (NHF), Everton Anderson, has called on Jamaicans to take advantage of the screening services provided by the fund for early detection and treatment of chronic conditions.

“The NHF continues to encourage persons to take responsibility for their own health, and we do assist with screening activities. Twice weekly, we conduct free screening for hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, and high cholesterol, in communities across Jamaica,” he said.

Anderson was speaking at the recent groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion of the operating theatre at the St Ann’s Bay Regional Hospital in St Ann.

He noted that from the screenings held, “we have seen many abnormal results and we have arranged counselling and encouraged persons to get treatment for their conditions”.

He is encouraging Jamaicans to help prevent these conditions by adopting healthy lifestyles such as eating properly, exercising regularly, and resting, and to also instill these habits in their children. “If this is done at a young age they will never depart from it while growing up,” he pointed out.

Senior medical officer at the St Ann’s Bay Regional Hospital, Dr Nicole Dawkins, said the facility has been sensitising residents of the parish about the importance of protecting their health and living a healthy lifestyle to prevent certain illnesses.

She said the Physiotherapy Department will on Friday stage a walk as part of its week of activities, “not just to promote physiotherapy as a profession, but the need for individuals to be aware, and to take responsibility.

“We encourage persons to join so that the message can be heard and be seen, that of health promotion, and being active,” Dr Dawkins said.

— JIS