"The ministry asks the public to carry out prevention and control of hypertension through Germas," the ministry's coordinating deputy for health quality improvement and population development Agus Suprapto said in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Germas promotes seven behaviors, namely, carrying out physical activities, eating fruits and vegetables, not smoking, not consuming alcoholic beverages, carrying out regular health checks, keeping the environment clean, and using clean latrines, he explained.
"Doing regular physical activity is very important to prevent various diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes. Do not forget to do physical activity anywhere and anytime for at least 30 minutes every day," he added.
By implementing Germas, the community can make effective efforts to prevent several non-communicable diseases and increase health resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Hypertension is one of the co-morbidities which is quite high during the COVID-19 pandemic," Suprapto noted.
Hypertension is also a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, especially heart disease and stroke, therefore, prevention and treatment efforts must continue, he said.
In addition, the government has continued to intensify the Germas campaign, in accordance with the Presidential Instruction Number 1 of 2017 concerning the Healthy Living Community Movement in order to encourage the public to prioritize a promotive and preventive healthy paradigm.
"This movement is a planned and systematic action carried out jointly by all elements of society to improve the quality of health. This is based on public awareness and understanding of the importance of Germas," Suprapto said.
According to him, comprehensive socialization and education are needed to increase public awareness and understanding of the importance of healthy living behaviors.
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Translator: Wuryanti Puspitasari, Resinta S
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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