11 Mar 2019

Minister of International Affairs and Cooperation, Dr Unity Dow says it is important to address issues of health and spirituality in the workplace.

Speaking at the ministry wellness day recently, Dr Dow said issues relating to mental and relational health were important and needed to be addressed since they affected employees happiness and productivity.

“No person is an individual. I am sure some of you when you came here you left an unwell child or a child who didn’t do well at school or a parent who needs your help. Therefore, for you to be productive, everyone must understand that you are not an island, but that there are other people out there you care about,” she said.

Dr Dow said a healthy community should appreciate that employees were not just individuals but members of a family.

She said employees health did not only depend on a healthy work environment, but should also be appreciated as being part of another community.

Furthermore, she said as the world celebrated International Women’s Day, it was important to consider the place of women in the community.

She stated that an unhappy woman translated to an unhappy family and community.

The community, she said, demanded that women be happy because a happy community and a happy woman were intertwined and translated to a healthy workforce.

For his part, Reverend Tom Lekanang said it was critical for the country to ensure a healthy workforce.

He added that wellness days were important in underlining the full potential of an individual physically, psychologically socially, spiritually and economically. ENDS