MP wants more awareness on lifestyle diseases

 THE Health Department must start carrying out major awareness on lifestyle diseases.

Moresby Northeast MP Andrew Mald in a statement on Friday said PNG is sitting on a time-bomb that would destroy the people. 

“I call on the Health Department to spend between K3 and K5 million in this awareness to pass on the message that eating unhealthy food and living an unhealthy life will cost your life at a very young age.”

Mald said people were eating 50 toea scones, drinking softdrink and having lamb flaps and in the evening they go out to drink their six pack of beer.

“The people after having this cheap food then chew their betelnut and smoke their cigarettes, which to me, are living dangerously.

“That is an example of unhealthy lifestyle and unhealthy living.”

Mald said this is evidenced now in the major centres of Port Moresby, Lae and Mt Hagen where people were busy trying to earn a living by selling things on the road sides.

He said the national government must take the lead in creating awareness among the people.

 “Prevention is better than cure. The government must take the lead because we will be held accountable for killing our own people through our own inaction.”

Mald said that to discourage betelnut sales is to encourage little people to go into small scale agriculture and animal husbandry businesses.