26 Nov 2018

 Orapa’s Livingstone English Medium School head teacher, Mr Thompson Koboyatau says it is depressing that men are not committed to their health and personal hygiene.

Speaking during Botswana Police North Central Division Pitso ya Borre in Rakops recdently, Mr Koboyatau said men rarely visited health facilities for medical check ups, as a result, ended up suffering from diseases that could have been prevented through good personal hygiene and lifestyle.

Mr Koboyatau urged men to change their mindset in dealing with issues such as personal health and hygiene, family health and gender base violence since they could have a huge impact on their lives and of those around them.

He said the theme, Men; Be Leaders in Health Issues, was relevant for the occasion for it compelled men to reflect on their actions.

He said men should come up with the means and ways through which they could play effective leadership roles in dealing with various health issues that affected them and their families.

Mr Koboyatau said men must play a leading role and be role models on issues of personal health and urged them to visit health facilities for medical screening on a regular basis and when sick take doctors and nurses advice and take medication as prescribed.

He also encourage men to enroll for health programmes such as safe male circumcision, avoid multiple concurrent relationships, test for HIV/AIDS and take advantage of the Treat All programme offered by government.

He said it was good to know one’s status in order to protect oneself against infection and make a life plan.

Mr Koboyatau encouraged men to exercise regularly and eat well to avoid non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, sugar diabetes and obesity.

 Smoking and alcohol abuse, he said, was not good for them.

He said men tended to ignore the impact of pregnancy on women, saying regular pregnancies could be a health risk, hence it was important to space children.

Mr Koboyatau said it was disheartening that men were perpetrators of gender based violence and that when they were supposed to protest their loved ones they humiliated, degraded and abused them emotionally, physically and otherwise.

The objective of the day was to address police men on health issues and gender based violence. ENDS