The President of the Republic of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has challenged Ugandans to embrace healthy lifestyles.

This was communicated in his message on the National Day of Physical Activity on June 18, 2023.

The theme of this year’s celebrations is: ‘Regular Physical Activity for my health is my responsibility.’

The Minister for Energy and Mineral Development Hon. Ruth Nankabirwa represented H.E President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who was the Chief Guest during the main celebrations at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds.

In his message read out by Hon. Ruth Nankabirwa, Museveni stated:

“It is important for everyone to maintain robust health by avoiding all factors that can predispose an individual to ill-health. A healthy and educated population is a pre-condition for building a rich and prosperous nation.

“The Public health strategy of the NRM government is based on disease prevention, this involves carrying out mass mobilization and awareness campaigns, to equip the general public with crucial information on disease prevention and control. Once the public is aware of the possible sources and causes of diseases, it is easy to reduce the disease burden on our health care system.

“Everyone must become their own doctor and nurses in order to succeed in the fight against diseases. Our early immunization campaign for instance yielded substantial results. We were able to keep the killer diseases like polio, measles, TB, diphtheria etc. out of Uganda. This prevention strategy had helped us fight dangerous diseases like HIV/Aids, Ebola and COVID-19 etc.

“Ugandans are now more cautious of the health benefits of good hygiene, like drinking clean and boiled water, proper waste disposal, eating fully-cooked food, sleeping under a mosquito net, clearing bushes around our homesteads etc.

“Government will continue to invest in improving the health infrastructure across the country, in order to guarantee access to affordable and timely healthcare for all.

“I would like to join the Ministry of Health in raising the alarm about the danger of NCDs, the new silent killers (the lifestyle diseases that include hypertension, Obesity, cancers etc. They are more prevalent in urban areas where the population has adapted lifestyles which promote lazy-body activity and or eating fatty foods, processed foods and beverages. Some do smoke, others engage in alcoholism.

“The diseases are however easy to handle through lifestyle changes. I urge all the players in the health sector to intensify public campaigns on nutrition diets and benefits of physical exercise. This will help us to curb the threat of the silent killers.”

Cheetahs Global Health Solutions (CGHS), a non-profit organization founded by Ugandan sports, fitness and Wellness enthusiasts partnered with the Ministry of Health to champion Fitness and Wellness during the National Day of Physical Activity on June 18, 2023.

Cheetahs’ Company Secretary Phiona Kampire, Diana Nyiramwiza and Carol Gomcom supported the national celebrations through different roles.

Besides Cheetahs Global Health Solutions (CGHS), the other National Day of Physical Activity partners included UNDP, UNICEF, World Health Organization, USAID, UNCDA, amref, PATH, UINCD, Vision Group, Health Entrepreneurs and mli.

CGHS works with reputable experts, partners and ambassadors to roll out well-designed activities that promote lasting solutions for healthy living.