November is men's health awareness month: 'Men generally don't prioritise their health'

Gugs Mhlungu spoke to Dr Fundile Nyati, GP and Proactive Health Solutions CEO.

Listen to their conversation in the audio clip below.

November is dedicated to raising awareness about men’s health challenges be they physical or mental.

Also known as Movember, the month focuses on men's overall mental health, suicide, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.

Men are said to have poor health-seeking behaviour.

Nyati explains that this can be due to societies men were raised in, where they are uncomfortable with being vulnerable and where the idea of seeking professional help goes against the fact that men must be tough, men must not cry and men must not be vulnerable.

"The idea that you're going to go to a clinic, a hospital, a GP, there is a possibility that you may be found to have a challenge because then they believe that once you get to know about that challenge that is what's going to make you to be sick more than the fact that there may be a challenge. It's a mindset thing, it's a wrong way of looking at one's life."

- Dr Fundile Nyati, GP and Proactive Health Solutions CEO

"Men generally do not prioritise their health. Research globally has shown that on average men die five years younger than their wives." 

- Dr Fundile Nyati, GP and Proactive Health Solutions CEO

"Most of the leading causes of death amongst men can be prevented because the causes are more non-communicable kind of diseases."

 - Dr Fundile Nyati, GP and Proactive Health Solutions CEO

"Hopefully, going forward, males will have fewer challenges in their minds about embracing preventative health for both physical and also mental health."  

 - Dr Fundile Nyati, GP and Proactive Health Solutions CEO

Scroll up to listen to the full conversation.