KPJ Healthcare Berhad

1,500 join Fun Colour Run

SIBU: The KPJ Sibu Fun Colour Run is part of KPJ Sibu Specialist Medical Centre’s effort to educate the public especially young people on the importance of practising a healthy lifestyle to prevent

SIBU: The KPJ Sibu Fun Colour Run is part of KPJ Sibu Specialist Medical Centre’s effort to educate the public especially young people on the importance of practising a healthy lifestyle to prevent cancer.

Executive director of KPJ Sibu Specialist Medical Centre, Mah Lai Heng, said it was important for everyone to have good health.

“This is because prevention is actually not better than cure but prevention is in fact cheaper than cure.

“In reality, if we fall ill, we have to spend a lot of money for medical treatment. So, the best option is to stay fit and healthy at all times by taking good care of our own health,” she told reporters after the flag-off ceremony of the KPJ Sibu Fun Colour Run 2016 at Sibu Town Square Phase One yesterday morning.

Datuk Tiong Thai King, chairman of Sibu Municipal Council who is also Dudong assemblyman, officiated at the flag-off ceremony.

The deputy chairman of Sibu Municipal Council Rogayah Jamain, medical director of KPJ Sibu Specialist Medical

Centre Dr Wong Chya Wei and general manager of KPJ Sibu Specialist Medical Centre Denis Saving Boniface were also present.

The event attracted a total of 1,500 participants.

It was held in conjunction with World Cancer Day.

The event aimed at creating greater level of awareness among the public of the importance of early cancer detection.

“Early detection means a greater chance to save life especially for breast cancer, prostate cancer and cervical cancer.

“Why Colour Run? It is due to the different types of cancer. Cancers are represented by different colours; breast cancer is pink ribbon, prostate cancer is blue ribbon while cervical cancer is green ribbon,” she said.

Besides that, the colours represented the unique multi-racial groups in Sarawak coming together with a common interest to support the cancer awareness campaign, Mah added.

“We also organise outreach programme whereby a team of dedicated caring doctors and nurses go not only to the urban areas but also to the rural areas such as longhouses and villages.

“They will carry out the screening process for early detection of cancer among the longhouse folk and villagers,” she said.

Mah said cancer was treatable if detected early.

- BORNEO POST