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GJPMC signing agreement with MOH lifestyle program

For five consecutive years, Gleneagles JPMC and Ministry of Health continue to strengthentheir public-private partnership via a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony event for the commencement of healthy lifestyle programmes including Workplace and Health (WAH) Programme, the Happy Environment and Lifestyle (HEAL) Programme, Growing, Learning, Optimizing Towards Better Well-Being in Schools Programme (GLOW) and Other Healthy Lifestyle Related Programme. The signing ceremony took place this morning at the VIP Hall, Rizqun International Hotel.

Present at the signing ceremony as the guest of honour was Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohammad Isham Haji Jaafar, Minister of Health.

Signing the agreement on behalf of the Government of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam was Deputy Permanent Secretary (Professional) at the Ministry of Health, Dr Ang Swee Hui and signing on behalf of Gleneagles JPMC was the Chief Executive Officer of Gleneagles JPMC, Dr Peter Tay. The signing of the MOU was witnessed by Head of Health Promotion Centre at Ministry of Health, Dr Hajah Norhayati binti Haji Md Kassim and Chief Operating Officer of Gleneagles JPMC, ‘Izzul Hamzi bin Haji Jomari.

With the signing of the MOU, a contribution amounting to BND$250,000 was presented by Dr Peter Tay on behalf of Gleneagles JPMC to Yang Berhormat Minister of Health which will be utilized to fund the programmes.

In his speech, the Chief Executive Officer of Gleneagles JPMC, Dr Peter Tay highlighted that as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility, Gleneagles JPMC has always been supportive of the promotion of healthy lifestyles.

“Today, the world is witnessing an epidemic of lifestyle diseases otherwise known as Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD). These includes obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, coronary heart disease, strokes and cancer. The WHO has declared a war on lifestyle diseases and here in Brunei, under the Wawasan Brunei Darussalam 2035, one of the main goals is to focus on achieving a high quality of life, and this includes self-development and adopting a healthy lifestyle”, he said.

The initiatives that began in 2019 are the WAH programme and HEAL programme.

Under the WAH programme, a total of 39 BMI weighing scale and stadiometer and 52 sphygmomanometers were distributed to all 12 ministries. Approximately 20,000 civil servants have participated in basic health screenings, and a total of 598 exercise sessions have been conducted since 2019. Additionally, in 2022, six ministries participated in the pilot weight loss programme called the Fit & Active Lifestyle Club (FALC). The WHP website has been live since September 2022, offering four online modules with a total of 18 topics to promote a healthy lifestyle and increase knowledge and competencies in health promotion and disease prevention in workplaces.

Meanwhile, the HEAL Programme supports physical activity interventions in community settings by building, strengthening, and maintaining social networks that provide opportunities for physical activity. Since 2019, 23 physical activity events have been conducted, with a total of 2,583 participants. In the future, the HEAL Programme will be expanded to include community initiatives focusing on nutrition and anti-tobacco efforts.

As for the newly introduced GLOW Programme, it aims to empower schools in Brunei Darussalam to implement comprehensive health promotion programmes for the better health of students. The programme adopts a whole-school approach to promote health and educational accomplishment within school communities. As of January 2023, six schools have been recruited to pilot the Health Promoting Schools (HPS) initiatives, and a total of 61 teachers from 34 private schools attended a two-day HPS Initiatives Workshop.

For the other Health Lifestyle Programme, it will encompass a range of initiatives, including a national salt reduction, a trans fat reduction initiative and a healthy dining programme.

The agreement outlines the commitment of both parties in continuing to strengthen and coordinate existing and new efforts to promote a healthy lifestyle and ultimately, prevent and control noncommunicable diseases in Brunei Darussalam.

During the event, fitness vendors were also present to display their contribution and initiatives for the programme.