THE Penang government will support a three-year awareness campaign against obesity that will be run by the Malaysian Paediatric Association, says Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.
He said the state government has accepted a proposal by the association to jointly conduct a three-year awareness campaign amongst school children in Penang.
“We will be sponsoring about RM2 million to support this obesity campaign for the next three years among school children in the state,” Chow said in his speech at the ‘Get Your Fit on 2.0 Fundraising Event’ at Occupy Beach Penang in George Town today.
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“Obesity is one of the problems especially amongst the young people. And it is important to instil the awareness while they are young.
“Various awareness campaigns and activities will be conducted for this group so that they will continue their life journey as healthy citizens of this country.
“We will stand to lose even more if one out of 10 citizens of our state is inflicted with diabetes and other life threatening diseases.”
Chow said the state government would support all initiatives that could encourage Penang citizens to live a healthy and active lifestyle as one of its taglines is to achieve a cleaner, greener, safer and healthier Penang.
The chief minister said he had also attended various awareness programmes last month and this month, including the awareness campaign against cancer just a day earlier at the Esplanade.
He pointed out that it was a very frightening revelation when Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad had said earlier this year that Malaysia has the highest rate of diabetes in Asia and one of the highest in the world.
Similarly, Chow said it was also of grave concern that the number is foreseen to increase to seven million Malaysians by year 2025 according to organising chairperson Belle Chan in her speech.
“This is why in every 10 citizens, probably there will be one suffering from diabetes.
“It is a lifestyle disease. It is how we conduct ourselves, watch our diet and whether we keep an active lifestyle that will determine whether we will be healthy for the rest of our lives,” Chow added.
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He said he was glad that the Lions Club of Tanjung Putri and other clubs in Region 1 had come together to organise the meaningful event to help raise funds for the needy.
Chow later joined the 500-odd participants in a zumba dance which was held on Beach Street in a beautiful and cool weather.
Also present were Lions Club International District 308 B2 district governor William Lim Kok Peng, Lions Club honorary committee chairperson (past district governor) Datuk Khoo Kay Huat, Diabetes Awareness and Action district chairperson Prof Dr William Teh Siew Guan, Lions Club International District 308 B2 Region 1 chairperson Rayson Khoo, Lions Club of Tanjung Putri chairperson Chan Lee Joo and organising chairperson Belle Chan.
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Lee Joo said 20 Lions clubs in the district managed to raise a total of RM13,000 which would be donated to the Malaysian Diabetic Association Penang branch. In their inaugural fundraising event last year, she said they managed to raise RM2,000.
Lim, in his speech, said fighting diabetes is the signature cause of the Lions International this year around the world. For his district, he said they aimed to conduct 1,500 screenings this month.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Ahmad Adil Muhamad
Video by Alvie Cheng