17 Nov 2019

Increase in diabetes remains a major concern for government, Lobatse town clerk, Ms Boikhutso Matenge has said.

Speaking at the World Diabetes Day commemoration by departments under the Ministry for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration in the Southern District recently, Ms Matenge pointed that over five per cent of the population of the country suffered from diabetes.

She said the 2017 Botswana Demographic Survey report indicated that 5.4 per cent of the population in Botswana suffered from diabetes, 10 992 being males and 17 149 females.

She explained that the World Health Organisation (WHO) country report of 2014 indicated that diabetes mellitus was responsible for approximately four per cent of deaths in Botswana.

She said the rise in diabetes mellitus was attributed to poor lifestyle such as poor eating habits, usage of tobacco, physical inactivity and obesity.

Thus, she urged people to protect themselves from developing the disease by leading healthy lifestyles.

“Diabetes is largely preventable and treatable. Combined effort is crucial in the management of diabetes while early detection is key to improved general care outcomes. Be encouraged to exercise regularly, maintain a normal body weight, eat a healthy diet avoiding sugar, salt and saturated fats, also increase your water intake,” she said.

She also urged people to seek medical attention urgently when they developed signs of diabetes, which include excessive excretion of urine, excessive thirst, constant hunger, excessive weight loss, vision changes and fatigue.

A medical doctor at Athlone Hospital in Lobatse, Dr Yuwu Dinkatu pointed that there were 11 facilities in the Lobatse District where people could be screened and treated for diabetes.

Dr Dinkatu said the facilities were found at Athlone, Motswedi, Peleng East, Peleng Central, Tsopeng, Woodhall, Molapowabojang, Digawana, Lorwana, Gopong and Mogojogojo clinics.

He said the diabetic clinic at Athlone had registered over 600 patients.

He said patients received services such as consultation and screening for complications.

“Tobacco, alcohol and obesity are some of the risk factors for diabetes. 

If you can avoid all these risk factors you can prevent diabetes,” he said. Ends