Health Ministry launches national campaign to prevent chronic diseases and promote early detection
The Ministry of Health launched a national awareness campaign on chronic diseases and early detection, involving 15 entities, to enhance public health and reduce risk factors such as smoking and obesity.
Translated by Qiyas from الوسط — Original source
The Ministry of Health, represented by the Department for the Prevention and Management of Non-Communicable Chronic Diseases, launched today, Monday, the national campaign for awareness of chronic diseases and early detection, at The Avenues Mall. The campaign’s activities will continue throughout October at several primary health care centers and will conclude on the 29th at the Ministry’s General Secretariat.
Dr. Wafaa Al-Kandari, Director of the Department for the Prevention and Management of Non-Communicable Chronic Diseases, stated that the campaign is part of the Ministry’s efforts to promote public health and support prevention plans for non-communicable diseases, with a focus on cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases.
She emphasized that reducing risk factors is a central pillar of prevention, particularly smoking, unhealthy nutrition, physical inactivity, and obesity, underscoring the importance of adopting healthy lifestyles and early detection to mitigate complications of chronic diseases and prevent premature deaths.
Dr. Al-Kandari noted that the campaign’s events will be held at primary health care centers according to a schedule to be published by the Ministry through its official platforms. She highlighted the participation of several Ministry departments, including Health Promotion, Primary Health Care, School Health, and Physical Therapy, alongside the College of Public Health and civil society organizations.
For her part, Dr. Lamea Al-Aradi, Senior Public Health Specialist at the Department for the Prevention and Management of Non-Communicable Chronic Diseases, said the campaign aims to raise health awareness and provide reliable medical information, while strengthening early detection programs, under the slogan “Your Health Starts with a Step.”
She added that approximately 15 entities from within and outside the Ministry are participating in the campaign, including the World Health Organization, as well as the Nutrition, Primary Health Care, and Nursing departments, along with the Kuwait Heart Association, the Kuwait Obesity Association, and the National Cancer Awareness Campaign (KANC), thereby enhancing coordinated efforts to curb chronic diseases.
