"The Population Must Be Proactive in Caring for Their Health"

Health care requires a commitment from the patient themselves, which can be achieved by implementing small changes in daily routines. This is one of the main messages conveyed by the Third Community Health Days, organised this Wednesday by the Alicante-Sant Joan d'Alacant Health Department.

The Town Hall Square in Alicante has been the epicentre of an initiative featuring workshops, information stands, and conferences aimed at promoting good health practices among the people of Alicante. "Citizens must show a proactive attitude. They should not leave their health care solely in the hands of healthcare professionals," explains nurse Pau Berenguer, one of the leaders of the community health strategy of the Sant Joan department.

In this third edition, the decision was made to concentrate this major community health event in the heart of the city, where the Community Health teams from the nine basic health zones of the health area have been working for months.

Another healthcare professional who participated in the initiative is Dr. Aarón Gutiérrez, departmental coordinator of the community health strategy. "Activities like this help to make our work visible, which is not limited to attending to pathologies in health centres."

The professionals took advantage of the days to offer advice and demonstrations on how to care for nutrition, cardiovascular health, prevent diseases, learn first aid, or acquire healthy habits to maintain an active life, among others. The Alicante Blood Transfusion Centre participated with a mobile blood donation point.

The Alicante Town Hall collaborated in organising the day and exemplifies the institutional collaboration that health specialists call for. "We act as health promoters, driving prevention actions; but we need the help of other bodies for the message to resonate with the public. Let's say that healthcare professionals act as a link between the Administration and the patients themselves," explains Berenguer.

A healthy diet and physical activity are two pieces of advice that come to mind for improving our health, but there are others that are not so obvious, as Dr. Aarón Gutiérrez explains: "It is important to avoid unwanted loneliness, in other words, to socialise. Finding like-minded people with whom to share hobbies and common interests is a very simple gesture but can lead to substantial changes in our health."