Buai chewing becoming an unhygienic habit

The National Letters

Papua New Guinea probably holds the record in unhealthy living in the Pacific.
This is evident in our habitual unhealthy living, poor sanitation standards, littering and poor rubbish disposal practices.
On the personal level are; poor personal hygiene, poor dress codes, food preparation practices and deplorable oral health.
I have travelled abroad and seen shanty settlement homes pretty well organised.
Here at home is the opposite and I am appalled by what I see.
In the poor oral health category, PNG could be ranked number one in the world.
In the pretext of doing our culture a favour, betel nut are abused beyond their traditional boundaries:

  • Traditional non-chewers of the Highlands region now chew and have overtake the traditional chewers of the coastal regions;
  • school children can chew before and after school.
  • public servants chew on the job and add additional cleaning jobs for the office cleaners;
  • disciplined force personnel chew on the job while in uniform; and,
  • Health workers and educators chew on the job too.

Even the heads of Government departments won’t give clean smiles.
It is a disgusting habit more than addiction.
Those who chew unashamedly on television are a national disgrace.
When is PNG going to do a massive cleanup to give oral health a good name?
The Chief Secretary should give an ultimatum to the CEOs of organisations to crack the whip on this chewing madness during official hours?
We are in the 21st century and not in the dark ages to live the way of the past.

Tok Stret,
NCD