Health Ministry rolling out Hepili programme in schools in June
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the Hepili programme package would no longer be limited to schools with "young doctor clubs" only.
"Personally, I feel this programme proves that a healthy lifestyle can be nurtured from a young age with a friendly, heartfelt, and lasting impact... as the saying goes, 'to bend the bamboo, bend it while it's still a shoot'," he said.
He was speaking at the closing ceremony of the Hepili Healthy and Prosperous Tour Programme with Didi and Friends for the East Coast Zone and the launch of the Hepili programme package here on Friday (May 30).
Elaborating further, Dr Dzulkefly said the Hepili Tour Programme with Didi and Friends was an edutainment approach that provided health education through entertainment to children aged five to 12.
"The popularity of Didi and Friends is leveraged to convey health messages in a friendly, easy-to-understand, and memorable way.
"Among the main achievements of this programme are the production of seven animated health videos that have collectively garnered over 28 million views on YouTube, with two of the most popular videos each exceeding 10 million views," he said.
He said field activities had also received an encouraging response with participation from over 135,000 children.
"This proves that cartoons and cheerful songs are not merely entertainment, but also effective educational tools that help build awareness, spark interest and encourage action, in line with the principle that health education is not just about knowing, but doing.
"To date, over 10,000 preschools, kindergartens, primary and secondary schools have implemented the 'Tunas Doktor Muda' (Preschool Young Doctor) and Kelab Doktor Muda programmes, while more than 80 institutions of higher learning have implemented the Healthy Student Programme. All of these use a peer guidance approach to foster a healthy lifestyle from the grassroots level," he said. – Bernama
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