Baghdad 17 December 2018 – The Iraqi Ministry of Health’s Media and Health Awareness Department, in collaboration with the World Health Organization in Baghdad, celebrated National Day for Health Promotion.
The day was marked with a celebratory event at Baghdad’s Al Zawra Park and attracted a large audience from the Ministry of Health, health and children’s centres in Baghdad, and civil society organizations.
Dr Mohammed Chiad, head of the Media and Health Awareness Department, spoke of the role the media plays in health education, awareness and health promotion.
“The Ministry of Health works through its departments in Baghdad and other governorates to achieve its humanitarian goals,” said Dr Chiad.
The Department uses a wide variety of visual and audio material to encourage people to adopt a healthier lifestyle and abandon habits and behaviour detrimental to their health. The Department’s goals include facilitating access to information, encouraging people to adopt a healthy diet, take up exercise and stop smoking. Meetings and gatherings are held regularly to promote awareness and information sharing.
Dr Ra’ed al-Hashimi, Iraq’s Goodwill Ambassador for Health, stressed the importance of government promoting best practices to eliminate diseases and pollution.
“We are hopeful the United Nations and other international organizations will support the Iraqi people improve health services and promote the health sector,” said Dr al-Hashimi.
The day’s celebrations included an open air exhibition in the park of the services and activities offered by a selection of Baghdad’s health centres and concluded with the recitation of a poem by school student by Retaj Kareem.
