The Ministry of Health is working on rolling out the Health Promoting Schools program to all schools around the country.

Minister for Health Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete says this program aims to improve the health and wellbeing of students through a whole-of-school approach, which will eventually lead to the reduction of non-communicable diseases.

Dr. Waqainabete says more than 300 schools are currently under the program and are contributing towards improved student educational outcomes.

“We are hoping to actually roll out this program in all the schools in Fiji. It talks about health seeking behavior and the important pillars around nutrition, WASH, and mental health and making sure they are frequently checked.”

Dr. Waqainabete says the Health Promoting Schools program develops, implements, monitors, assesses, and reports on three strategic areas.

The three areas include diet and physical activity, water sanitation and hygiene, and mental health and wellbeing.

The Minister says the three strategic areas are critical in ensuring that a child is able to live a healthy lifestyle and contribute to his or her successful educational journey.