26 Nov 2013

Diabetes is a serious, debilitating and costly disease that imposes life-long demands on people living with the disease and their families.

Speaking at the commemoration of diabetes day in Lobatse, the deputy permanent secretary-preventive services in the Ministry of Health, Ms Sheenaz EL-Halabi said it was estimated that there were more than 300 million people worldwide suffering from diabetes.

This number, she said, was likely to increase by 2030 to more than double if effective interventions were not undertaken. “A risk factor for non-communicable diseases was conducted by the ministry in 2007 and showed that two per cent of the participants were having diabetes and looking at the annual health statistics collected from our health facilities also shows an increase trend of diabetes,” she said.

She noted that the direct economic cost of diabetes in terms of medical care and loss of human resources in Africa was substantial adding that it was increased by the high burden of diabetes complications such as strokes, heart attack, blindness, limb amputations and kidney failure.

Furthermore, EL-Halabi said poor health and death due to diabetes and its complications were increasing among people aged 20-39 years which she said was the most economically active segment of the population.

She also noted that in the past, clinical management of cases was the mainstay of diabetic care adding that as time went by, there was a realisation that in order to prevent the rising trend of diabetic cases, deliberate effort had to be made to prevent the disease.

For her part, diabetes coordinator, Dr Nsalambi Vuva said Athlone Hospital diabetic clinic was opened in September 2010 adding that in the beginning, the clinic registered 270 patients and was operating two days a week.

She said the clinic had since become busier with the growing number of patients which she says is currently around 500 adding that the team found it befitting to increase the number of consultation days to three and the staff compliment has also been increased. ENDS