7 April 2016 | Novi Sad, Serbia [Mirjana Knežević] An intentional health programme that impacted more than 1,000 residents in Serbia’s second largest city, Novi Sad, focused on diabetes during World Health day, Thursday, 7 April 2016.
A children’s art competition, a health-expo, and health lectures were also part of the day, and those who could not attend still heard and saw reports that were broadcast from five TV and three radio stations who attended the opening. The provincial Secretary for Health, Social Policy and Demography exclaimed, “this was the best organised event in the last 50 years.”
This day was an initiative of the Southeast European Union Conference Health Ministries department, together with the Novi Sad Life and Health Association.* Run in both the Serbian and Hungarian languages, this Seventh-day Adventist led event was organised in close co-operation with the Provincial Secretary for Health, Social Policy and Demography, the Institute for Public Health of Vojvodina, the Association of Societies for the fight against Diabetes, the Institute for Blood Transfusion, the local Health Centre in Inđija and Pharmaceutical student organisations.
Dr Zorica Plavšić, president of the Life and Health Association, opened the day. She expressed her joy to be “a part of such a successful and well-organised creative and educational event.” Similar sentiments were also expressed by the Provincial Secretary for Health, Social Policy and Demography, the Director of the Health Centre in Inđija who is responsible for the Vojvodina’s House of Health project, and the Cultural Department Director of SPENS, the sports and recreational centre used to host the event.
The event included a lot of fun! School children submitted their creative art works demonstrating the ‘Change Attitude – Be Healthy’ theme. Academic painter, Eros Bunjik Lili, awarded children with prizes for the best art works depicting good health, or for designing the best poster. Several companies provided gifts for the winners and equally sponsored part of the costs for the event. Children from the local kindergarten and school also participated in the programme playing music and reciting poetry that fitted the theme of the event.
More than 220 visitors checked their health parameters at the Vojvodina’s home health-project, run by the Provincial Government. This included their blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure levels, total body fat and blood oxygen levels. Dependent on the results, they then had opportunity to receive practical health tips given by doctors and health technicians. Others visited the Vojvodina blood donation service.
Afternoon lectures gave an opportunity for initially school children and then medical professionals to gain insights into preventative health. In the early afternoon Dr Petar Borović shared with Primary and Secondary school students some examples and ideas on how to invest in the future right now by living a healthy lifestyle.
Two accredited lectures followed, attended by 54 healthcare workers. In a short speech, Dr Zorica Plavšić noted the increasing number of patients with diabetes and shared possible ways to prevent the disease. Dr Branislav Hačko then explained in detail how a healthy lifestyle can strengthen their health potential. Professor Vesna Dimitrijević Srećković then tackled western society’s challenging problem of teenage obesity and its effects.
ADRA Serbia brought a healthy psychological perspective to the day. The Serbian Church magazine, ‘Life and Health’ dedicated an entire issue to the importance of the type of psychological support that ADRA is implementing in their activities. ADRA Serbia has invested great effort into strengthening the community by providing psychological support to people who have survived not just natural disasters, but who may have been victims of domestic violence or may be in a programme of palliative care, including the family members or staff who care for them.
Organisers, participants and visitors alike commented that ‘CHANGE ATTITUDE– BE HEALTHY’ stressed the importance of prevention, education, and fostering healthy living habits in a very positive manner, sharing a positive message of both prevention and treatment for not just diabetes but also many other chronic diseases. [tedNEWS]
*The Life and Health Association is a church-member led initiative, established in 2009. It promotes a healthy, holistic lifestyle according to the eight principles of New Start programme.
tedNEWS Staff: Victor Hulbert, director; Esti Pujic, editor
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