Press Releases

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the 10th Annual International Meeting on Public Health, organised by the Cyprus International Institute for Environmental and Public Health of the Cyprus University of Technology. This meeting takes place within the framework of the global scientific network of Epidemiology, of which the Cyprus International Institute is a member.

This year’s anniversary event is supported and co-organised by the Center of Excellence for Biobank and Biomedical Research and the Department of Chemistry of the University of Cyprus. The central theme of this two-day meeting is the health of schoolchildren and the role of Health Promoting Schools in improving their health.

In addition to its other activities, the Cyprus International Institute contributes to academic and educational events and pioneers research in Public and Environmental Health, gaining international recognition.

The Centre of Excellence for Biobank and Biomedical Research, since its establishment in 2019, has been contributing to the next generation of medical research in Cyprus. The Biobank aims to generate new knowledge to enhance human health and contribute to the prevention, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of diseases.

The focus of today's workshop is the well-being of children in Cyprus and the challenges we face today in the field of Public Health. Of fundamental importance for schoolchildren’s health is the creation of a healthy school environment. The concept of ‘Health Promoting Schools’ is based on an initiative by the World Health Organization and UNICEF to promote health within the school environment.

This workshop will cover children's health in schools within the dimensions of physical, psychological, social, and environmental health. I am confident that this workshop will facilitate the discussion and exchange of best practices and up-to-date knowledge. The important conclusions of this meeting will help us to shape our policies for children’s health now and in the future.

“Health is a state of complete physical, psychological, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity,” according to the historic Alma-Ata Declaration of the World Health Conference in 1978. Health is a fundamental human right, and states have to ensure universal health cover for all their people.

The meeting will also present research findings from the European Study of Health Behaviour of Schoolchildren. These findings will help us to better understand schoolchildren, allowing both the state and other stakeholders to take targeted actions to improve their health.

Children is the greatest asset of our country and our hope for the future. Investing in the physical and psychological health of our children is one of the main priorities of the Ministry of Health. We seek to strengthen our School Health Services to address the challenges and needs of our children within a safe and healthy school environment.

The aim of School Health Services is to prevent disease and promote and maintain the health and well-being of students at all levels of education in both the public and private sectors. School Health Services promote healthy lifestyles through nutrition and physical activity. The School Medical Services in Cyprus provide essential screening programs and vaccinations for the health of our children. School Health Services also play a vital role in preventing infectious diseases and enabling early diagnosis of other health issues within the school environment.

By adopting best practices, we look forward to improving and protecting our children’s health through the implementation and evaluation of evidence-based interventions in schools.

I would like to thank the organisers, who have worked with dynamic enthusiasm to make this two-day conference a special event and a landmark for academic and research issues concerning the health of our schoolchildren.

I assure you that the Ministry of Health will fully support your efforts to target activities and services for the meaningful improvement of our children’s health. Finally, I wish you great success and fruitful discussions during this two-day conference.

(DC/AP)