The Sports Journalists Association of Kenya (SJAK) staged its second wellness medical camp in Nairobi, a program intended to help media practitioners know their health condition early.
The wellness concept was conceived two years back by SJAK members. SJAK has now done two events so far with Holistic and LifeCare Hospital.
Hezekiah Omondi, the Business Development Manager at LifeCare Hospitals- Mlolongo, explained why the partnership with the journalists’ body matters. “Partnering with SJAK is important because journalists work under tight deadlines and high pressure. Giving them access to preventive care helps protect the people who keep the public informed. Healthy journalists mean a stronger media,” Omondi said.
LifeCare Nursing Manager Mary Waweru outlined the day’s screenings. “Today we tested Random Blood Sugar, Blood Pressure checks, prostate cancer screening and breast cancer screening, as well as dental check-up,” Waweru said. “It’s important to know your wellness status because things like blood sugar and blood pressure may not have signs and symptoms and the essence is to seek treatment early.”
William Deche of Holistic said they are helping sports scribes with the InBody machine to measure body composition, because body composition counts a lot in getting to understand weight issues and lifestyle. Holistic also administered psychotherapy to assess the mental wellness of SJAK members.
SJAK underlined the importance of the wellness camp and confirmed the initiative will continue. “The health of our members is a priority. This is only the second edition and more will follow because we want every journalist to thrive on and off the beat,” SJAK said.
National Olympic Committee of Kenya Deputy President Barnaba Korir praised the effort. “The camp is a good initiative that we have also adopted for athletes. If it works for athletes, it works for journalists too,” Korir said