13 Nov 2022

Collaboration between the Ministry of Health and different stakeholders remains critical in the fight against diabetes.

Deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr Tshepo Machacha said this at a diabetes awareness walk on Saturday. Dr Machacha said fighting diabetes was a collective effort, particularly in effort to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number three which called for healthy lives and promotion of wellbeing at all ages.

He said modifiable behaviours such as poor eating habits and physical inactivity all increased the risks of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in the country.

He added that the epidemic of NCDs such as diabetes posed devastating health consequences for individuals, families as well as communities and also threatened to overwhelm the health system.

“Currently diabetes remains one of the top five diseases killers in the country, which shows that we have a serious health problem in our midst,” he said.

He further stated that the country’s healthy life expectancy was estimated at a startling 53 years old, which showed  the age that Batswana were expected to live in ‘full health’.

“This means that on average, Batswana contract diseases and are already unhealthy at a young age, which further escalates the burden on our health system,” he said.

Dr Machacha therefore urged people to adopt a healthy lifestyle and good eating habits.

“It is imperative that we raise a generation that does not believe in central obesity,” he said.

Meanwhile, Diabetes Association of Botswana chairperson, Dr Gontle Moleele said the aim of the event was to raise awareness about diabetes as build up to the World Diabetes Day commemoration scheduled for today. Dr Moleele said understanding more about the disease helped one to take control of their condition and feel empowered about how to help oneself.

She therefore appealed to the nation adopt healthy lifestyles. ENDS