01 Nov 2017

Non Communicable Diseases (NCD) are reported to be killing many people from low income to middle income families. Officiating at the Health 1^st Foundation activity to screen 1 000 elderly people for communicable diseases on Saturday, former Botswana ambassador to USA and UN Special Advisor to Africa, Mr Legwaila Legwaila said the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that NCD’s killed about 40 million people annually.

Mr Legwaila stated that of that number, 15 million were between the ages of 30-69 years and most were from low and middle income families.

NCD’s he explained threatened progress towards the 2030 agenda for sustainable development which included the target of reducing premature deaths from such diseases by one third.

Ambassador Legwaila said one way of preventing and controlling NCD’s was through the programme organised by Health 1st Foundation to screen, detect and manage them at an early stage in order to reduce the huge medical budget.

He said the report compiled by Health 1st Foundation following their three events revealed that the major health challenge was diabetes and hypertension where about 40 per cent of the participants received prescriptions and referred to public health facilities for further treatment, while 30 per cent were discharged with no treatment and another 30 per cent discharged home with treatment.

He expressed delight that for the first time the foundation included cancer screening which he said was reported to be the fourth cause of death in the region by WHO, killing more people prematurely than HIV, Malaria and Tuberculosis combined.

Cancer screening by the foundation he said would assist in reaching the target of cancer prevention and ensure that the country achieved the 40 per cent target detection and cure rate and also fell within the 20 per cent that could be managed by palliative care.

The four diseases cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and chronic respiratory were becoming the most common causes of deaths and WHO has observed that they were predominant in high, middle and low income countries.

“NCD’s have risen so rapidly, cutting productivity so insidiously and were draining family resources so thoroughly, and became a major threat to the economic and social development of the developing countries and Botswana was not an exception”, he said.

Ambassador Legwaila also explained that WHO estimated that 7 million deaths were due to high blood pressure, 4.4 million were caused by high cholesterol, 5.4 million caused by tobacco while 5.3 million deaths were due to lack of unhealthy diet and lack of physical activity. 

Ambassador Legwaila implored the elderly people in Bobonong to take heed of advice from health professionals and ensured compliance so that they lived healthier lives.

Chairperson of the foundation, Judge Annah Mathiba said screening of diseases among the elderly was not the first in the area.

Judge Mathiba stated that they brought over 55 health specialists, who specialised on diseases ranging from diabetes, hypertension, cancer, dieticians, dentists, eye specialists to offer services to Bobonong constituents. 

She commended Ministry of Health and Wellness who assured the foundation that patients that required further treatment would be referred to public hospitals.

The foundation donated 200 eye glasses to deserving patients, five wheel chairs and 150 sanitary pads to Matshekge Senior Secondary School students.

For his part area MP Mr Shaw said he arranged and sponsored the screening to help the community especially the elderly. 

Mr Kgathi said he did that to ensure that elderly people also had access to medical treatment.

He said the activity was the third in the area having invited heart disease specialist, Professor Kiran Bhagat and Health 1st Foundation in 2015 and again this year. BOPA