By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, Oct 20: The three-day 8th Alliance for Healthy Cities (AFHC) Global Conference and General Assembly 2018 came to a successful conclusion here last night.
The 9th edition will be held in Hong Kong in 2020.
Minister for Local Government and Housing Prof Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian, who officiated at the closing ceremony, highlighted that not every great city is a healthy city.
“As Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said a few days ago, there are many great cities, but many of these cities are unhealthy. Therefore, it is more important for us to keep the city healthy as we march into the direction of a great city,” he said.
Dr Sim shared a light moment with the guests when he invited anyone who yearned to have a long life to come to Sarawak.
“In Malaysia, if you want to have longevity in life, come to Sarawak. The people here live longer, surrounded by the jungles of Borneo. We get to enjoy beautiful blue skies every day,” he said.
On a serious note, he thanked the World Health Organisation for shifting the focus of the conference from communicable diseases to non-communicable ones, which are due to unhealthy lifestyles.
He hoped AFHC could make a significant impact on the society through the members’ expertise, experiences and best practices that were discussed in the conference here. — DayakDaily.
