14 June 2024 | Zagreb, Croatia [Vladana Kovačević with tedNEWS]
How long should a centenary celebration for the Croatian Life and Health magazine (Život i Zdravlje) last? For the Croatian Health Ministries team, it is a year-long celebration to give the magazine and its message maximum profile.
The celebrations began last November at the 45th International Book Fair in Zagreb and continued on Sunday, 12 May, at Zagreb’s Bundek Sports and Recreation Centre for a day of holistic health for all ages. Petar Krzmanić was one of the many participants and was impressed. “I came across this by chance because I was going for a walk with a friend. Having gone through all the stalls with their health checks and advice, I think I’m fairly healthy, but I’m still waiting to hear what the doctor says. I’ve heard about Life and Health magazine before, but I haven’t read it.”
Most visitors were attracted to the Health Department stands, where they could check their health and talk with a doctor, while children enjoyed the puppet show prepared by the team from the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Croatia.
In cooperation with the Health Department, the students of the Adventist High School in Maruševec generously offered their services to support the event.
Gabriela Lukačević, currently studying nursing, commented. “The school invited us to join this interesting project. We had many visibly interested people visit our stand. My role was to check sugar and oxygen saturation levels (measured at rest, three minutes of exercise and then after five minutes of rest).” With normal blood sugar levels ranging from 3.2 to 6.4, Lukačević added that “we didn’t find anyone with serious health problems.”
In addition to measuring sugar, volunteers at health stands checked heart rate, lung strength, blood pressure, weight and body mass, offered therapeutic massages, and also engaged in dialogue with visitors about their health. The final diagnosis of the condition of an individual was given by a doctor.
As a result of the day’s activity, retired pastor Ivan Đidara reports that around two hundred contacts were made with people who stopped by our stands. We are grateful to God and everyone who volunteered to support this project.
[Photos: Courtesy of Neven Klačmer]
