PRESSURE IN CHECK: Sister Hlengiwe Dikeledi at the Campus Health Awareness Day, checking the blood pressure of first year Health Science student, Lulamile Mazibuko. Photo: Zimasa Mpemnyama
The Campus Health and Wellness Centre held it’s first Health Awareness Day of the year on Wednesday, checking students for illnesses like high blood pressure and cholesterol.
Campus Health and Wellness Centre hosted its first health awareness day of the year on Wednesday at the Senate House concourse. The aim of the health awareness day was to educate students and staff on the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle and getting regular testing for certain illnesses, including high blood pressure and cholesterol.
Sister Bongiwe Sithole, the Health Promotion Facilitator at Campus Health, said health awareness in both the student and staff community is important, as it helps increase productivity.
“If you are sick all the time, you tend to miss classes and your performance tends to drop. With staff members that is manifested through work attendance,” she said.
The concourse was divided into two sections catering to staff and another to students, all testing for blood pressure, blood sugar levels, Body Mass Index (BMI) and cholesterol.
Students appreciated the intervention. “Since my dad stopped medical aid, I literally got cut off from private doctors and the GP, so this is the quickest way to go check for everything in less than an hour, which is really cool,” said Thandeka Dube, 3rd year BA.
Celukuthula Shange travelled all the way from Education Campus to get himself checked out. “It is very useful to know about the state of your health because if it is not good, then it will also affect your studies,” said Shange.
Students were also able to get their eyes tested by 3rd year students and staff from the optometry department, and their feet checked by the staff from the podiatry department from the University of Johannesburg.
“It’s important for people to test their eyes regularly. At least annually. That can save you from a lot of diseases and from losing your sight. But importantly it makes your standard of living better,” said 3rd year optometry student, Muhammad Bulbulia.
“Our target is to have two wellness days in a year. We are hoping to have another one (health day) at Education Campus sometime in September,” said Sithole.
