Fifa to roll out health programme

THE new ‘Fifa 11 for health’ programme for Papua New Guinea will be rolled out in July in Port Moresby, the host city of the Fifa Under-20 Women’s World Cup.
The programme encompasses simple messages on prevention that are linked to a specific football action.
To better reflect the health profile of PNG, the programme will integrate tuberculosis (TB) in its educational messages in order to focus on a disease that is a major public health concern in the country.
The key messages under the Fifa programme are: Play football respect girls and women; protect yourself from HIV and TB; avoid drugs and alcohol; use treated bed nets; wash your hands; drink clean water; eat a balanced diet; get vaccinated; take your prescribed medication; and fair play.
Papua New Guinea Football Association and Oceania Football Confederation president David Chung said: “The Fifa 11 for health programme will impact the lives of young children in the schools because they will be the ones taking the messages home to their parents and siblings.”
Fifa’s chief medical officer, professor Jiří Dvořák, said the Fifa programme complemented the initiatives of the host city, Port Moresby, in promoting a healthier lifestyle and stopping violence against girls and women.