ASFF urges coastguard staff to adopt healthy lifestyle |20 November 2012

Several nurses from the Ministry of Health, led by Monica Servina of the ASFF, were at the SCG base yesterday to impress on personnel the value of healthy living, at a time when some chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiac conditions, cancer and HIV/Aids were steadily on the increase.

Ms Servina said there was unfortunately a tendency among men in Seychelles to neglect their health, noting that while life expectancy for men stands at 68, that of women is 77.
This is unlike a similar comparison in most countries, where the age difference is only about three years.

She noted that a unit of the Seychelles Hospital is open every Saturday morning for men who wish to undergo health tests, without need of an appointment.

The hospital’s urologist, Dr Lorren Reginald, also runs a clinic on Wednesdays, but this is per appointment.

Ms Servina stressed the need of early screening to detect various types of cancer common in men, notably those of the prostate and testis.  She added that regular testing of blood can also reveal early indications of diabetes, as well as HIV/Aids, adding that these diseases are particularly prevalent among men over 40.

Ms Servina said that due to improper living habits and unbalanced diet, diabetes is also becoming a killer disease in Seychelles.

Personnel of the SCG base were given the opportunity yesterday to undergo blood sugar level testing;  blood pressure testing as well as ascertain their BMIs (Body Mass Index) to check whether their weight is normal.