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Gleneagles JPMC and Ministry of Health Strengthen Partnership for Seventh Year, Bringing Total Contribution to Over BND$1.5 Million for Healthy Lifestyle Programmes

Marking its seventh consecutive year, Gleneagles JPMC and the Ministry of Health reaffirmed their commitment to a strong public-private partnership through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

The MOU paves the way for the continued implementation of healthy lifestyle initiatives, including the Workplace and Health (WAH), the Happy Environment and Lifestyle (HEAL), the Growing, Learning, Optimizing Towards Better Well-Being in Schools (GLOW) programmes, as well as other healthy lifestyle related initiatives. The signing ceremony was held yesterday at the Tarindak D’Polo, Jerudong.

Gracing the occasion as the Guest of Honour was Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohammad Isham bin 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 Acting Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health, Dr Hajah Rafidah Binti Haji Gharif 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 Chief Executive Officer of Health Promotion Centre, Mohammad Firdey Hazarullah Bin Haji Md Zain, and Chief Operating Officer of Gleneagles JPMC, ‘Izzul Hamzi bin Haji Jomari.

With this year’s signing, a mock cheque signifying a contribution of BND$250,000 was presented by Dr Peter Tay, on behalf of Gleneagles JPMC to the Ministry of Health, which will be utilised to fund the programmes. This brings Gleneagles JPMC’s total contributions over the past seven years to over BND$1.5 million, reflecting the hospital’s sustained commitment to promoting health and wellness across the nation.

In his opening remarks , Dr Peter Tay reaffirmed the hospital’s dedication to advancing healthy lifestyle initiatives as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility. Additionally, he also stressed that early prevention is crucial, noting that non-communicable diseases account for the majority of deaths in Brunei and obesity rates among both adults and children remain alarmingly high. He highlighted that initiatives such as GLOW, WAH, and HEAL play a vital role in instilling healthy habits particularly from a young age, making them an essential investment in the nation’s future health.

Since its launch in 2019, the Workplace and Health (WAH) Programme has engaged with various ministries covering over 25,000 civil servants in health screening and 700 workout activities.

In line with these efforts, the Workplace Health Programme (whp.gov.bn) website has extended its reach to both government and private sectors. Approximately 4,000 participants have registered for the online healthy lifestyle course which imparts knowledge on healthy living & strategies for the prevention of non-communicable diseases.

Meanwhile, the Happy Environment and Lifestyle (HEAL) Programme was established in 2022 to promote wellness and the importance of health within communities. Since that time, the HEAL programme has engaged communities by promoting education, raising awareness, and delivering health-related activities, in pursuit of better health and well-being for all. HEAL has successfully conducted seven events, engaging almost 4,000 participants from various communities.

Recently introduced to target a wider and younger audience, an outreach called the Growing, Learning, Optimizing Towards Better Well-being in Schools (GLOW) was established to support two objectives: empowering schools to implement comprehensive health-promoting programmes, and recognising their efforts in fostering health within the school community. The programme now runs in over 18 schools from both government and private institutions, each integrated comprehensive healthy lifestyle programmes for their students.

Other healthy lifestyle initiatives encompass a range of projects, including the introduction of a national salt reduction programme to encourage healthier eating habits. The agreement reaffirms the commitment of both parties to continue strengthening and coordinating existing and new efforts aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles, with the goal of preventing and managing non-communicable diseases in the country.

As part of the event, partner organisations also set up booths to showcase their progress and outcomes from the programmes. These booths provided an overview of activities and milestones achieved, while giving guests the chance to learn more about the initiatives and their impact on promoting healthier lifestyles in the community.