Ministry of Finance employees have been urged to make regular exercise and health check-ups part of their daily routines to maintain good health and enhance their ability to deliver on government responsibilities.
The call was made by the ministry’s Director of Administration and Human Resources, Mr Lusius Mwenda, during a meeting with medical professionals from the Ocean Road Cancer Institute (ORCI) in Dodoma.
The meeting followed a cancer awareness and early screening exercise conducted by ORCI doctors for ministry employees.
Mr Mwenda said a healthy workforce was essential for effective public service delivery and the implementation of national development priorities, including those outlined in Tanzania’s Development Vision 2050.
He urged employees to take personal responsibility for their health by exercising regularly, following medical advice and undergoing routine check-ups.
“Even if you have enough staff, it is difficult for an institution to effectively perform its core responsibilities if its employees are not healthy,” Mr Mwenda said.
He also called on ORCI health professionals to continue supporting the ministry through regular cancer awareness and screening programmes, suggesting that similar services could be offered every six months.
Mr Mwenda said increased public awareness of cancer and other diseases would help people take preventive measures early, ultimately contributing to a healthier and more productive population.
For his part, ORCI Director of Prevention, Dr Crispin Kahesa, commended the ministry’s leadership and employees for their strong response to the initiative.
He said more than 300 ministry employees benefited from the cancer awareness and screening exercise.
“We are pleased with how the exercise went. We thank the ministry’s leadership for the cooperation and the employees for their participation throughout the programme,” Dr Kahesa said.
He encouraged employees to apply the knowledge they gained during the exercise and develop a culture of regular health screening.
Dr Kahesa said early detection of cancer significantly improves the chances of successful treatment, making regular screening an important tool in preventing and managing the disease.
He said the exercise was part of wider efforts to strengthen public awareness of cancer, encourage early health-seeking behaviour and promote preventive healthcare.
The initiative highlights the growing importance of workplace health programmes in protecting employees’ wellbeing while supporting productivity and the effective delivery of public services.
