BY BANELE MAGONGO
MBABANE – About 600 Tax Ray employees have taken advantage of free screening activities for diabetes and hypertension which began on July 1, 2024.
This initiative was made possible by Ministry of Health, Taiwan Technical Mission, and Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI).
The Tax Ray development was revealed during a health and dietary education event on Wednesday (July 24, 2024), which had an estimated 400 participants. The attendees also gained valuable knowledge about balanced diet but also enjoyed the healthy traditional African vegetables provided by TAVI.
Project Manager of the Taiwan Technical Mission Amon Yang confirmed that one of the screening services provided by the project is offering services at public and private enterprises.
He stated that In July, the project organised a month-long screening service for diabetes and hypertension for the employees of TexRay, a large textile factory in Matsapha. So far, about 600 TexRay employees have received the screening.
It is stated that as part of the project, the project has partnered with the Taiwan-Africa Vegetable Initiative (TAVI) to promote health literacy. TAVI, which has received support from the Taiwanese government for more than 3 years, is dedicated to improving the nutritional well-being of the Emaswati population. On July 24th, during the lunch break of TexRay employees, TAVI conducted health and dietary education sessions.
“TexRay attaches great importance to the health and well-being of its employees. We are pleased to collaborate with the Ministry of Health, Taiwan Technical Mission and CHAI Eswatini in conducting health screenings for our employees,” said Mars Tseng general manager of TexRay.
He extended gratitude to the TAVI Project for promoting the concept of healthy eating to the employees.
Nutrition Officer from the Ministry of Health, Bongani Mdluli said, “The ministry assists in providing health education, screening, and curative measures. Due to the high rate of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the country, the ministry focuses more on preventative measures such as correcting diet and physical activity. Today’s event brings correct dietary concepts to more people and hopes to gradually change people’s eating habits.”
One of the Tax Ray employees (identified as Tengetile) who received the screening services stated, “We are very grateful to the NCD project for raising awareness about non-communicable diseases, especially diabetes and hypertension. It has made a huge difference in our health lives. Through the project, we are now aware of the prevention, control, and screening of these diseases.”
