23 Aug 2023

Sport and exercise can play a critical role in promoting physical wellness, mental well-being as well as teamwork among employees.

Minister of Health Dr Edwin Dikoloti said this when officially opening the Southern Region Inter Health Games in Lobatse on Tuesday.

The week-long competition, which finishes on Friday, has brought together teams from eight District Health Management Teams (DHMTs) in the southern part of Botswana.

Dr Dikoloti urged participants to use the games for awareness creation about Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).

He said NCDs such as hypertension, cancer and others had increased and became major global concern.

“Creating awareness about NCDs, their risk factors and preventative measures is crucial.

Government, healthcare organisations and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) should collaborate and educate people about healthy lifestyle, including proper nutrition, physical activity as well as tobacco and alcohol control,” he said.

He said participation in the Inter Health Games would benefit health care workers by improving their wellness.

He added that it would also help to strengthen the health system since it would be run by healthy people. “Healthy staff in our healthy system will help to improve access to quality health care services, medication and specialised care for all our patients,” said the minister.

Dr Dikoloti therefore commended the ministry of health employees for organising the games annually.

Explaining the objectives of the event, Athlone Hospital superintendent, Dr Malebogo Rauwe pointed out that the games were organised to promote wellness and cooperation among health care workers. Dr Rauwe said health care workers should be physically and mentally healthy since they provided critical services to the nation.

Safety, Health and Environment Coordinator in the Ministry of Health, Ms Ellen Kahovere, in her overview of the games, said they were established in 2012 by the health care workers from Rakops, Palapye, Gantsi and Maun.

She said workers from the Chobe DHMT, Sefhare Primary Hospital, Masunga and Gweta joined the following year as the games grew.

She said when they started, the main mandate of the games was to tackle issues that affected men.

She said during their gathering they would invite other stakeholders to come and address issues such as HIV/AIDS, financial literacy, as well as men’s sexual health.

Ms Kahovere said interest grew in the games as time went on and more DHMTs started participating.

She said the games had now turned into a forum for health care workers to converge and collectively look at their health and wellness by getting screened for illnesses and carrying out physical exercises.

The games brought together teams from Greater Lobatse, Kgalagadi South, Kgalagadi North, Southern, Greater Gaborone, Kweneng and Kgatleng DHMTs.

There were also teams from Sbrana Psychiatric Hospital, Kanye SDA and Ministry of Health headquarters.

They competed in football, netball, volleyball, darts and snooker tournaments. ENDS