02 Aug 2017

It is often said that a good leader leads by example.

The statement resonates with the Minister of Health and Wellness Ms Dorcus Makgato’s strategy aimed at reshaping the tone, perception and approach to health.

In her view, Ms Makgato as a leader, believes people do what they see; hence companies are emulating her courage and deeds in making health and wellness a personal responsibility.

In her own words, when addressing the masses, Ms Makgato often emphasises that good health and wellness was not an event but a way of life.

 “Health and wellness is not tablets or pills dispensed at clinics or increasing the number of health facilities or infrastructure. Health is activities that we engage in, behavior and what we ingest” Ms Makgato often said.

With government taking the lead on issues of health and wellness at the workplace, private and parastatals are also joining in the walk.

Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana (CAAB) recently held their first ever health and wellness event under the theme ‘Creating safer skies through healthy lifestyles’.

CAAB chief executive officer,  Mr Puseletso Moshabesha distinguished the benefits of healthy workforce in relation to production and service delivery.

He declared that the health and wellness initiative would be rolled out to other airports in Botswana.

He also encouraged CAAB personnel to take health and wellness on a personal account as an everyday thing and embrace it as a way of life.

Sponsor and partner of the event, Botswana Life Insurance chief executive officer, Ms Bilkiss Moorad stressed the correlation between health and financial wellness.

Ms Moorad highlighted a relatively new trend called presentism, meaning that people only go to work to show face and fail to produce to the maximum as expected by the employer because they would probably be stressed and heavy-hearted with family matters or other domestic or work related issues.

“Creating on-site health and wellness programmes is very important because majority of the employees actually spent more time at work. These programmes also help employees to manage their health status whereas for the firm, these programmes can be used to manage production,” she said.

Furthermore, Ms Moorad stated that rising life expectations were making financial wellness one of the major mega problems of today’s times and decade; hence many people were experiencing life in the fast lane characterised by hectic lifestyle work balance and social life that leads to having very little time to focus on health and financial wellness.

“This habit in the long run will present more challenges for the people to live longer, healthier and to have more vibrant meaningful lives. It’s well known that exercising prevents some chronic diseases”.

Moreover, she underscored the need to realise the significance of creating a positive, safe and healthy environment for both employees and the employers.

She insisted that this kind of environment would increase morale, improve work life balance and in-turn positively improve company performance.

“Associated benefits of having a healthy workforce are that healthier employees do not easily skip work and are motivated to stay in work, recover from sickness quicker and are at less risk of long term illnesses. And it is quite happy that if we are happy as employees, we certainly make our customers happy”

Ms Moorad noted that health and wellness activities were a good platform for exchanging ideas and strengthening relationships and team building exercises. ENDS