7th Edition Of Firmwalk 2015

The 7^thedition of the monthly FIRMWalk 2015 which came off on Saturday, the 28th of November, 2015 was with a blast as it commenced from the T&A Park (Tarkwa) with well over 500 people at exactly 5:40 am. This month's walk which was used to create awareness on diabetes was made up of participants from the Tarkwa Midwifery School, University of Mines & Technology, corporate world, keepfit clubs, Red Cross Society Ghana, Ghana Prisons Service, Ghana Ambulance Service and the Pensioners Association.

This monthly health event which is geared towards creating more awareness on kidney health and the need to maintain healthy lifestyles comes off on the last Saturday of every month. This event is used to iterate the crucial role the kidneys play in our bodies and the need to develop interventions to curtail the increasing incidence of diabetes and hypertension which are the major causes of kidney failure.

Organized by Firm Health Ghana Foundation (FHGF) in partnership with Space fm (87.7), Dynamite fm (88.9) and sponsored by Washington Rentals and So Nice Drinking Water, the 7^h Edition started with a 7KM Health Walk from the T&A Park through Lowcost, Estate Junction, Efuanta, Tarsco, UMaT, Takoradi Station, Post Office, Banking Lane and back to T&A Park. The walk took participants close to 1hr 30minutes to complete.

Physical instructor (Mr. Isaac Sowah Kumah) then led the enthusiastic participants through 35 minutes of aerobics exercises amid danceable tunes. This was followed by 25 minutes interactive health talk session on diabetes and foot care delivered by Dr. Joseph Darko. He commended participants for turning up in their numbers for this health and fitness exercise. He also advised them to engage in healthy lifestyles to realize the benefits of this monthly exercise. “We must not wait till the end of the month to join the walk instead our mindset towards exercising must change and we should make it a part of our daily activities” he said.

He continued that, diabetes can be managed effectively if the prescribed drugs are taken appropriately and healthy eating/lifestyle habits are adopted. He cautioned diabetes patients to be weary of the types of foot wears they put on and should immediately visit hospital ones they notice something different with their legs. He emphasized that excessive drinking & smoking, inappropriate eating habits, family history of diabetes, etc are part of the main causes of diabetes. Finally, he advised participants to go for check-ups at least twice every year to enable early discovery of these preventable diseases. Participants were then refreshed with fruits. The whole health event ended at exactly 8:30am.

The next edition is scheduled for December 26, 2015 at the same venue (T&A Park).

Article by:
Emmanuel Amarh Ashitey.
Public Relations
Firm Health Ghana Foundation
E-mail: [email protected]
website: www. firmhealthghana.org
Mobile Phone (233) 20-754-1684