THE curtains came down yesterday for the observance of Caribbean Wellness Day activities which featured a major health fair at the Square of the Revolution where scores of persons were able to test their blood pressure, check their body mass index (BMI), get eye screening and dental checkups, donate blood and obtain a number of outpatient services.

Caribbean Wellness Day was celebrated under the theme “Promoting a healthy lifestyle and active living.”
Minister of Health, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran visited the Square of the Revolution yesterday and interacted with several persons who were utilising the services being offered. He noted in an invited comment that healthy living is on the front burner of the Ministry of Health and every effort is being made to sensitise persons on healthy living.
The Caribbean Community came together on September 13th, 2008 to mobilise its citizens – young and old – to engage in activities that will promote and sustain healthy lifestyles, in what was the initial observance of Caribbean Wellness Day.
The observance of Caribbean Wellness Day was one of the decisions taken when the CARICOM Heads of Government, deeply concerned about the physical, economic and social burdens caused by lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, stroke, heart disease, obesity and cancer, met in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on 15th September 2007 to design a plan of action to stop the epidemic of chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).
To be observed annually on the second Saturday in September, Caribbean Wellness Day should showcase national and community level activities to promote healthy living and encourage residents to develop good health practices. Among the activities proposed for the day are the introduction of vehicle-free streets and smoke-free environments to provide opportunities and safe spaces for physical activity and healthy eating, free from exhaust emissions, tobacco smoke and other pollutants.
Regional and national organisers hope to launch a campaign of regular physical activities for popular participation to promote healthy living for prevention and control of NCDs. The main focus of the campaign will be on a small number of targets – eating healthy foods, regular exercise, checking and controlling blood pressure, quitting smoking – to be achieved through constant, gentle practice rather than drastic, unsustainable activity.
These proposals arose out of two consecutive meetings in Port-of-Spain in early May of this year to assess the state of readiness of each country to meet the targets set out in the Port of Spain Declaration on NCDs. Participants in a workshop on promoting physical activity, organised by the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and the CARICOM Secretariat, assessed the level of planning for physical activities in each country of the region and recommended steps to be taken.
The second meeting, organised with the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce (CAIC), saw the regional private sector committing to healthy workplace practices to benefit workers and entrepreneurs alike.