14 Apr 2014

Acting director of public health in the Ministry of Health, Dr Haruna Jibril says government’s vision is to provide a comprehensive quality health care to Batswana.

Speaking on behalf of the minister of health, at the launch of the Apple project between Bank Gaborone and Diabetes Association of Botswana (DAB) in Gaborone on April 10, Dr Jibril said as the ministry, they needed strategic partners who were willing and eager to invest in communities in which they operate and play a significant role in improving healthy lifestyles of the nation.

He said such partners shall then be demonstrating an excellent model of corporate responsibility and commended Bank Gaborone staff for what was being launched.

He said the Diabetes Apple Project will indeed go beyond opening opportunities for funding for the Botswana Diabetes Association, but it will be a journey through which Batswana could learn how to adopt healthy lifestyles.

Dr Jibril said he has been informed that when the project grows, they will involve schools and said this is strategic in that children will get to learn about diabetes at an early age and be given an opportunity to extend the goodwill by participating in the project.

He said as the children grow, they would appreciate the great value of health that is exercise, nutritious diets amongst others and when they get to adulthood these life-changing values would have been deeply engraved in their culture and thinking.

For his part, chairman of Diabetes Association of Botswana, Dr Joel Dipesalema said the statistics from the International Diabetes Federation shows that in 2013, there were 382 million people living with diabetes worldwide and the number will increase to 592 million by the year 2035 if no intervention is made.

He said in Botswana it is estimated that 96 000 people are leaving with diabetes and that figure translated to the national prevalence of 8.2 per cent.

He said as the association, they encourage everybody to eat healthy diet by increasing the portion of fruits and vegetables and consume less sugar, salt and fat and they should always exercise for 150 minutes per week for healthy living and the long term prevention of obesity and diabetes mellitus.

In his welcoming remarks Bank Gaborone Managing Director, Mr Andre Barnard said they identified DAB as a deserving strategic partner in their quest to contribute towards the pillar relating to health in Vision 2016.

He said their staff will be selling apples to clients and the public at large and in return the buyers will be rewarded with healthy apples and they are targeting to sell 100 000 apples to value of P500 000. ENDS