Brudirect.com: Brunei To Set Up First Health Promotion Centre

By James Kon

Bandar Seri Begawan – Brunei Darussalam will set up its first ever Health Promotion Centre by the end of July, next year, as part of efforts to support and promote a healthy lifestyle among the public.

A foundation laying ceremony was held at the construction site of the centre, situated just opposite the Ministry of Health Building at Commonwealth Drive, yesterday afternoon. The ceremony was officiated by the Minister of Health, Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Suyoi bin Hj Osman.

Royal Dutch Shell contributed US$5 million for the construction of the new Health Promotion Centre on the two-hectare land.

Acting on behalf of Royal Dutch Shell, the Managing Director of Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd, Dr Grahaeme Henderson, presented the mock cheque of US$5 million to Dato Paduka Serbini Ali, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health, prior to the foundation-laying ceremony.

The two-level Health Promotion Centre will consist of health exhibition zones that are interactive, modern and innovative. The exhibition zones will be open for public viewing. Some of the striking displays will be on a number of subjects on health, namely food quality and safety, physical activities, mental health, women’s health, oral health and environmental health.

In addition, the centre -will also house materials and resources on health education that can be utilised by members of the public as well as agencies. The project will also include rooms for health promotion activities such as health talks and physical activities.

Among the aims of the Health Promotion Centre are to raise public awareness and knowledge on the aspects of health and risk factors related to the main diseases especially those that are related with the way people live in the country, to assist members of the public to increase their capabilities in making better choices on health, to – instill the culture of healthy living from an early age and to develop into a resource centre that promotes health and research.

Dato Paduka Serbini Ali in his welcoming speech said the Health Promotion Centre is a project that would provide Health Education in Brunei.

“The Ministry of Health anticipates a fully interactive and interesting centre, which will attract as many visitors as possible from all age groups. Construction of the Centre is scheduled to be completed within one year,” he said. “The Ministry is also proud to acknowledge that the Health Promotion Centre is the first building ever built on public-private partnership on health. This is in line with the Ministry’s vision as well as a national move towards promoting collaborative efforts.”

Meanwhile Dr Henderson said, “For us in Brunei Shell – Petroleum and Royal Dutch Shell, health is a vital aspect of our people development strategy. We strongly believe that our employees are able to deliver an inspired performance to the growth of our organizations and nation, only when they are healthy. We have accordingly adopted and institutionalised a work-life balance as a principal guide to managing the health of our employees across our organisation.” — Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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