I make reference to Prime Minister Bruce Golding's charge to us at the September 9, Jamaica House launch of Caribbean Wellness Day, which was celebrated on September 13.

The Prime Minister called for us to not merely commit ourselves to one day of activities geared towards healthier living, but to focus instead on ensuring that "each year Jamaicans can measure and be encouraged by the increased receptivity that will be achieved".

In recognition of his appreciation, Prime Minister Golding advised that he has undertaken brisk walking as his healthy-lifestyle activity and encouraged more of us, especially people of influence, to endeavour to cultivate and foster this new thinking and culture among our people.

I am encouraged by the prime minister's charge. However, much more will have to be done on the part of the Government, through the Ministry of Health particularly, to promote and realise in a meaningful and sustained way such new attitude towards wellness and healthy living.

Unhealthy eating habits

The truth of the matter is that our health care system is severely burdened by a lot of lifestyle diseases caused by our unhealthy eating habits, which are often coupled with or supported by this long-standing societal myth that one ought to be fat in order to appear or be considered healthy.

Additionally, the preoccupation by so many of us with this other long-standing myth that anything foreign is superior to anything local has further contributed to our becoming so unattractively fat a people.

It is imperative that the Ministry of Health become much more responsive to these societal challenges and adopt meaningful curative measures to realise a healthier nation. It must move with alacrity, as part of a sustained national wellness campaign, to encourage these changes in our cultural habits or behaviour. The pussyfooting, as obtained with the long overdue promise to have legislation in place to deal with another serious public health issue, the restricting of the sale and use of tobacco products in Jamaica, should not take hold in this regard.

All public sector entities that maintain a canteen for their staff must be mandated to serve only certain prescribed meals, or be restricted from using certain products or foods. All public schools, hospitals, and all other such publicly run institutions, must be similarly mandated. Additionally, each such public entity must have a basic gym or wellness centre available for use by all workers. The private sector should be encouraged to get on board with a similar initiative.

I am, etc.,

KEVIN K.O. SANGSTER

sangstek@msn.com