KUWAIT: Healthy communities are foundational to the Ministry of Health’s vision, reinforcing people’s health prospects in partnership with the governmental and private sectors, said Minister of Health Dr Ahmad Al-Awadhi on Wednesday. In an opening speech celebrating and honoring the Healthy Cities Office, Dr. Al-Awadhi said that the “Health Mall” initiative is a shining example of different sectors joining for a progressive cause: developing supportive environments for health to flourish amongst people.

Chronic diseases, Dr Al-Awadhi added, cause 40 million deaths annually, approximately 70 percent of annual deaths globally according to World Health Organization data, indicating a massive burden on public health, economic and social development, and a drain on resources. Health Malls, as an initiative, had garnered support by the World Health Organization and the Gulf Cooperation Council of Health Ministers to provide people with spaces for health-specific reasons, added Al-Awadhi.

Minister of Health Dr Ahmad Al-Awadhi honored. – KUNA photos

Minister of Health Dr Ahmad Al-Awadhi and Head of the Health Cities office Dr Amal Al-Yahya.

Photo shows audience at the honorary celebration.

The Health Malls, Dr Al-Awadhi elaborated, aim to raise awareness regarding the importance of health, provide environments that advocate, support, and maintain health behaviors, and endorse a sense of social responsibility for the public. Because of the Health Cities Office’s noticeable efforts, it was able to receive contributions from six commercial malls, eager to collaborate with the Ministry of Health to promote a healthy way of life for visitors.

In her speech, the head of the Health Cities office, Dr Amal Al-Yahya, extends her gratitude to the six shopping malls for their desire to become health spaces for the public, underscoring the rigorous accreditation stage the malls are going through. The Health Malls initiative, Dr Al-Yahya added, displays the collaborative effort of the Ministry of Health with the private and commercial sectors, highlighting their homogenous determinations to facilitate the logistics of this initiative.

In a similar statement, the head of the Health Malls initiative, Dr Layla Al-Fezae, said that the role of this initiative is to promote comradery between the Ministry and private sectors, achieve the highest level of job satisfaction, reduce stress, and spread security. More than 40,000 people of all ages visit shopping malls, Dr Al-Fezae added, and on holidays, the number of visitors received at malls rises to 180,000 people daily, accentuating the need and importance of healthy malls to promote healthy lifestyles. Among the malls being accredited are Avenues Mall, 360 Mall, Assima Mall, and Promenade Mall. — KUNA