World Health Day Celebrated

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Panaji: The State Level function of World Health Day organized by the Health Education Bureau, Directorate of Health Services was held at Institute Menezes Braganza, Panaji today. This year the theme is “Our Planet, our Health”.

Member Secretary, Goa State Biodiversity Board, HOD Nodal Agency, Goa State Wetland Authority and Nodal Officer, Climate Change Steering Committee, Goa State, Dr Pradip Sarmokdam was the keynote speaker for the function.

Dr Pradip Sarmokadam in his keynote address extending his wishes on World Health Day said, we should learn lessons from the difficult Covid pandemic days and go to the root cause from where it has come. We have to accept that if nature is healthy we will be healthy. Link between our health and nature is the food, water, air and soil. We should understand that our traditional knowledge is the great repository and let us not underestimate it, he pointed.

Dr Sarmokadam said, doctors are the people who can influence the society most and educate them. 80% of the people in the world are still relying on traditional medicines and that is why ecology and nature is important. Even our present medicines which come from nature are not all synthetic. Medicinal plants are the backbone of traditional medicines. If one has proper food they will not require medicine, he said. You are the owner of your natural resources and traditional knowledge. If we protect the environment then our health will definitely remain good. What is there in nature will come on our plate, he said. Richer biodiversity – richer will be our plate. That is how the planet and food plate are related and if our food plate is healthy we will be healthy. Let us conserve the environment so that we will be safe, he remarked.

Our country has 9 wetlands out of which Goa has identified 7 wetlands. When we protect wetland we should remember that with the buffer we are protecting a lot of water security for the future and also protecting a lot of fish, hydro frights, plants and trees. Climate change is a global problem, he said. Best tool is to collectively educate the people. Let us reduce our footprints individually and collectively protect the environment, Dr Sarmokadam appealed.

Chief Medical Officer, State Family Welfare Bureau and Immunization Officer, Dr Rajendra Borkar said, Goa succeeded in controlling the pandemic with the hard team work of all health workers and other frontline workers.

State Epidemiologist, Dr Utkarsh Betodkar spoke about the green initiatives taken by the Health Department. All Community Health Centers, Primary Health Centers across the State were honored on the occasion.

Deputy Director, Dental, Dr Ujwala Prabhudessai; Medical Superintendent, North District Hospital, Dr Vandana Dhume; Deputy Director, Ayush, Dr Minal Joshi and Dr Geeta Kakodar were present on the occasion.

Dr Ira Almeida welcomed while Dr Siona Gomes proposed a vote of thanks. Adv Pallavi Mulgaonkar compared.

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