Make it a habit to go for health checks — Len Talif

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VITAL STEPS: Len (front row centre) leads the walk together with (from left) visitors board chairperson Norashikin Brahim, Sarikei Hospital director Dr Tey Siew Chang and Sarikei District Officer Khalid Andong.

SARIKEI: The people have been called to make a habit of undergoing regular medical checkups.

Assistant Minister of Environment Datuk Len Talif Salleh said the people must change their couldn’t care less attitude towards their health.

“The people should make it a habit to visit the clinic to undergo medical checkups instead of just to seek treatment when they fall sick,” he said when officiating at the ‘Walk for Health’ here yesterday.

He pointed out that national morbidity and health studies showed diabetes cases rose from 11.6 per cent in 2006 to 15.2 per cent in 2011 while the figure for obesity increased from 14 per cent in 2006 to 15.1 per cent in 2011.

A study carried out in 2006, he said, showed that only 44 per cent of adult Malaysians were physically active.

The Belawai assemblyman pointed out that the increasing number of non-communicable disease (NCD) cases could be prevented without incurring a high cost or requiring much time and effort by increasing physical activities such as walking.

“We need to walk about six to seven kilometres a day to maintain our physical fitness or to reduce excessive calories which cause obesity,” he advised.

Len, who participated in the 4km walk from Sarikei Hospital to Taman Susur Jambu, commended the hospital’s visitors board and staff for organising the programme.

He also announced an RM20,000 grant for the hospital to upgrade its healthcare facilities.