(Bandar Seri Begawan, 1st) To welcome “World Children's Day” on November 20 each year, the Brunei Ministry of Health, together with the Ministry of Welfare, Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Education, Brunei Paediatrics Society (BPS), and Children’s Cancer Foundation (YASKA), today launched a series of health lectures themed “Exploring the Lifelong Impact of Investing in Health During Pregnancy and Childhood.”
The first lecture was held at the Ministry of Health’s Al-‘Afiah Hall. Special sessions for staff from relevant ministries will follow on November 8 and 15, and the final public lecture is scheduled for November 23 at One City Mall.
The Ministry of Health stated that the series aims to raise public awareness on the importance of “investing in children’s health starting from pregnancy,” and to help people understand how early health care lays a solid foundation for an individual’s lifelong happiness and well-being.
This year’s World Children’s Day main goals include: enhancing public attention to health issues of children and adolescents at all stages; encouraging comprehensive health and well-being from pregnancy to adolescence; promoting the “Life Course Health” concept; strengthening health literacy in society; supporting the “high quality of life and healthy citizens” goal under Wawasan Brunei 2035, as well as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 3) of “good health and well-being for all.”
This lecture series invites experts from various fields such as paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, psychiatry, physiotherapy, and nutrition to give presentations on topics including: “Life Course Health,” “Healthy Mothers: Cornerstone of a Prosperous World,” “Breastfeeding: The Start of a Healthy Life,” “Life Beyond the Screen,” “Balanced Diet, Balanced Life,” “The Motivation for Growth,” “Is Obesity a Disease?,” “Fight Anaemia with Iron,” and “Healthy Mind, Healthy Life.”
In addition to expert sharing, the event also features interactive sessions, Kahoot quiz competitions, a health education poster exhibition, and mini games with prizes to encourage active participation and deepen participants’ understanding and interest in health information.
The Ministry of Health emphasized that this initiative demonstrates the government’s firm commitment to ensuring that every child in Brunei can grow up in a healthy, safe, and nurturing environment, cultivating a brighter and more productive future for the nation.