ONE of the leading medical aid schemes, Bonvie has closed the Men’s Month— June— in style in Harare and Bulawayo with a wellness awareness event.
Speaking at the event, held yesterday at Oncocare in Newlands, in the capital, Bonvie general manager Tinashe Magumise, a seasoned medical doctor, said the events strive to raise health awareness in men.
“Studies point out that women seek more health assistance and report more incidents of illness than men. Hence, this is one of the reasons why men’s life expectancy is short and women live longer than men.
“Men tend to seek assistance when they are down and usually it will be too late. Hence we are encouraging them, through these wellness events, to seek assistance early. Any disease can be treated better if diagnosed early,” he said.
Another medical doctor Shirley Chiponda from Oncocare Cancer Treatment Centre presented on the importance of regular cancer screenings.
“It is also good for men to undergo cancer screening regularly. We encourage men to avoid habits such as smoking and drinking; they should also make it a habit to exercise regularly to stay in good health,” she said.
She also highlighted that cancers that affect men are prostate, colorectal, lung, skin and breast.
Albert Mulingwa, another health practitioner, spoke briefly but detailed on mental and sexual health.
“We are here to encourage each other to open up as men. This will go a long way in freeing up our mind— a healthy mind is a healthy body,” he said.
He also encouraged men to avoid clinically-unproven sex enhancing medicine.
“Some of these concoctions or tablets have detrimental effects on our health and we should try by all means to avoid them for us to stay in good health.”
