WOMEN have been urged to inculcate a habit of regular medical check-ups to enable diagnosis of diseases at an early stage for ease of treatment.

Haitham Turky, healthy living enthusiast, made the call in Dar es Salaam at the weekend during women's wellness walkathon as part of commemorating World Women Wellness Day 2024.

Turky emphasized that health is crucial for the well-being of the society, especially women, and thus should be taught in schools just like other subjects to enhance overall development of the nation.

“Health is one of the most important things in our lives. Therefore, it is important to be taught how to take care of our health," he said.

"Most people live with stress due to work or various activities and go to hospital when they feel unwell. It is important to have a culture of taking care of our health, especially the issue of taking long breaths because science tells us that the more you hold your breath, the longer you live and the slower you will age," he said. 

Bashir Haroon, managing director of Shifaa Hospital, said that women are the backbone of society starting from the family level; therefore, it was important to commemorate World Women Wellness Day 2024 by caring for and supporting women by providing gynaecological, nutritional and specialist services to all participating women.

 Haroon said that the charity walk had a significant turnout by both genders which shows appreciation and care for women, especially in terms of their health.

“We have prioritized the female gender because our hospital is led by a woman and they go through various challenges of nurturing, childbirth and care services and that is why we prioritize their health. Our responsibility is to provide comprehensive, appropriate, and quality services to our communities," he said.

Suheil Kassim, country manager of Golden Tulip Dar City Center Hotel, said that they collaborated with the hospital and other stakeholders in commemorating that day because they are part of She Travel Club programme which is a global association that provides essential services for women when traveling.

Dr Anil Mehta, senior family physician from India, said that he collaborated with the hospital to provide capacity building for its staff and facilitated access to various services which one must adhere to in various countries.

The 4.2-kilometer walk started from Golden Tulip Dar City Center Hotel to Shifaa Pan African Hospital Limited located in Kinondoni municipality with the aim of raising awareness about the importance of taking care of one’s health.

World Women Wellness Day is a globally recognized day established to raise awareness about women's health issues, empower women to make their health a priority and encourage society to take action for equal access to care and wellness resources. It’s an opportunity to toast to the incredible strides the world has made towards acknowledging and improving women's health and wellness.