NGO Harps on Promotion of Workplace Health, Wellness in Nigeria

Senator Iroegbu in Abuja

A non-governmental organisation (NGO), Healthmeetings.org, has called for the promotion of wellness and healthy working environment in Nigeria.

The Convener, Employee Health Conference 2018, Dr. Henri Onyemachi, in a statement noted that a simple initiative such as regular health checkups and installation of ergonomically correct furnishings by an organisation can significantly improve employee health.

Onyemachi who is also the CEO, Redbridge Healthcare Group, noted that employees have days when they don’t really want to be at work, but it’s in every employer’s best interest to try and create a productive, motivating and engaging work environment.

“It astonishes how employee disease burdens impact corporate profitability and the conference focuses on highlighting this causal relationship with the aim of realigning the employer’s mindset to view workplace health and wellness expenditures as investments that impact positively on the balance sheets,” he said.

He noted that Healthmeetings.org is the strategic business unit of Redbridge Healthcare Group responsible for developing, planning, organising world class conferences, events, and exhibitions while providing a platform for key players in the healthcare industry to converge and interact across Africa to bring African healthcare to the world.

He stated: “We are driven by the need to create innovative, locally adapted and people-focused platforms and initiatives that would positively impact the overall experience of healthcare in Nigeria and across Africa through knowledge sharing, networking, value creation and collaboration.

“Healthmeetings.org had her maiden conference and exhibition in November 2017 in Abuja – Nigeria with the theme ‘Health Creates Wealth: A new paradigm to corporate performance’.”

According to Onyemachi, this year’s edition will focus will be on ‘The Documentation and Use of Data to promote Workplace Health and Wellness’.

He said the conference seeks to apply local data to: Address widespread chronic illness that leads to decreased labour outputs, lower returns on human capital investments, increased healthcare costs; Promote workplace wellness; and Help organisations design workplace wellness programmes.