Under the Auspices of the Minister of Health, Dr. Mohamad Jawad Khalife, Mount Lebanon Hospital in partnership with leading pharmaceutical companies held a full-fledged health awareness day at the hospital premises on Saturday 29th May as part of its “Because we care for your health ….Join Us” Campaign. The main objective of the event was to create awareness on the pressing illnesses of the century including Cancer, Diabetes, sudden-death - Strokes, Addiction and protection from Car accidents. More than 800 people attended the conference among them Representatives from Ministry of Health, officials from the region’s municipalities, directors from public and private hospitals from all over Lebanon, NGOs, associations, members of the media, academics and other many people from across the country.
Dr. Nazih Gharios, Mount Lebanon Hospital Chairman, inaugurated the event welcoming the attendees and thanking the Ministry of Health for her support on this initiative which aims to improve the health and lifestyle of the Lebanese community, followed by a speech by Dr. Assad Khoury representing his Excellency Minister Khalife who praised this initiative and the hospital management for her efforts towards the community.
Following the speeches, a series of important lectures were held including, "How do you protect yourself from Cancer" by Dr. Fadi Nasr in collaboration with Faire Face Association, "Why do we fall for addiction" – by Dr. Ramzi Haddad in collaboration with SKOUN, "Diabetes - Prevention & Cure" by Dr. Elie Gharios, "Sudden Death" by Dr. Samer Nasr & "Protection from a Stroke" by Dr. Mohamad Turk, and finally "Protection from different types of Accidents".
Mr. Ziad Akl, President of YASA International. The highlight of the event was the live maneuver on car accidents and rescue operations in conjunction with the civil defense and the Lebanese Red Cross, which demonstrated to the public how to react in cases of accidents and how to carry out rescue operations.
Alongside the exhibition area where leading medical and pharmaceutical companies were present answering the concerns and questions of all attendees, and to further promote early check-ups the hospitals carried out several tests on location and distributed free vouchers to the attendees to get free tests on any other day, these included mammography, blood tests, PCA, and osteoporosis.
Dr. Nazih Gharios, Commented on the event “Prevention is best medication, and you need to learn about illnesses to protect your self” He further added “We created this day – which will become a yearly event at the hospital- as we feel the Lebanese citizen needs to be more informed and aware on the best ways to stay healthy and we are encourage them to take advantage of what we offer to live a better life”
The event ended by distributing certificates for the attendees who expressed their appreciation for this educational yet enlightening event.
