Prague, Aug 20 (CTK) – The Czech government yesterday approved 13 programmes on nutrition and healthy eating, obesity prevention, support for physical activity and treatment of infections that are in line with Health 2020, the national strategy for health protection and promotion, the Health Ministry has told CTK.
The total minimum costs of the national strategy, which defines the Czech priorities in health care, are estimated at 10 billion crowns. A substantial part of the costs will be covered from the European Structural and Investment Funds.
The implementation of the particular programmes will be agreed on in cooperation with individual ministries, nongovernmental organisations, educational and research institutes and private entities.
Sports and other physical activities would be promoted in schools, medical facilities and social services because the vast majority of children in the country do not have the minimum recommended one hour of physical activity a day. Czechs increasingly suffer from chronic non-infectious diseases, one of whose main causes is a passive life style.
Healthy eating should reduce the occurrence of vascular and tumour diseases, which are one of the most frequent causes of death in the Czech Republic. Healthy habits should also prevent the development of obesity.
Within the national strategy, a centre for the treatment of highly dangerous infections would be built at Prague’s Na Bulovce Hospital.
($1=24.475 crowns)
