By ALICE NACHILEMBE
Copperbelt Provincial Public Health Specialist Charles Sakulanda says access to regular medical checkups can help in managing preventable ailments.
Dr Sakulanda said most people are scared to go to hospitals for checkups but prefer to visit the health facility when their illness get worse.
He was speaking in Chingola at the District Health Promotion Coordinating Committee (PHCC) meeting an initiative of Breakthrough Action in collaboration with Chingola District Health office on health promotion.
Dr Sakulanda said health problems should be dealt with within the community before they even reach to the hospital.
He said health problems start from the community and through Health Promotions wellness communities will be enlightened.
“We want to tackle this and reduce on mortality and morbidity rates and promote health communities willingness to access health services. It is our responsibility to make a difference in our various communities where we are coming from especially in rural areas where people would not go to the hospital and go traditional healers even on straight forward illnesses that need doctors,” he said.
Chingola District Promotion Officer Antony Chikwanda said the wellness program was targeting men and adolescents through the provision of health care, information sharing and vital checkups, because men need convincing to go to the hospital.
Mr Chikwanda said the program was to create awareness in order to create demand for men and adolescent to visit the clinic.
Speaking earlier Chingola Health Director Davis Mwewa said HPCC meeting was to effectively review and plan on how to apply strategic behaviour change in community engagement and mobilization approaches.
And Breakthrough Action Provincial community Health officer Stanley Mulofwa said his organisations has embarked on Social Behavior Change (SBC) approach.
Mr Mulofya said the mind set change approach for the people on using family planning, HIV testing, condom use and optimal complimentary feeding for children under 2 years.
He said his organisations will support DHO in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of locally designed SBC approaches and interventions such as the ongoing design implementation activities at District and community level.
The District health promotion coordinating committee is targeting Chawama clinic and Muchishi clinic which are located in areas of high density population.
