Diabetes a cause for concern, says HOPE

PAPUA New Guinea faces a time bomb if diabetes continues to go largely untreated, World Diabetes Foundation (WDF) senior programme manager, Ulrik Uldall Nielsen said.
Nielsen was visiting last month to see how WDF’s support was helping HOPE Worldwide (PNG) raise awareness about diabetes.
WDF operates in more than 60 countries to raise awareness and help set up treatment programmes.
He said the Pacific Islands had the highest prevalence of diabetes in the world and that the risk in PNG was somewhere between the situation in the Pacific Islands and Indonesia.
“Last year, I visited a project we supported in the Moluccas and the diabetes prevalence there was an alarming 12-13%,” he said.
“As I see it, the same factors – that is globalisation lifestyle change and a certain genetic predisposition exist in PNG,” he added.
Nielsen explained that the sudden opening of PNG in terms of massive foreign investment and construction “posed a bomb of lifestyle diseases waiting to go off”.
“In fact I have little doubt that this is what will happen in PNG unless the health authorities are able to take measures now that can prevent a massive development of lifestyle diseases, they will be able to save money on health expenditure in the long run,” Nielsen said.
He told HOPE that his meeting with health authorities was positive and they agreed that the problem needed to be prioritised.
He pointed out that resource constraints made it challenging to rapidly expand diabetes treatment in PNG but the health authorities and HOPE had been working to improve testing, treatment and the training of medical staff at clinics nationwide.
In commemorating the World Diabetes Day on Sunday, HOPE in partnership with the NCD health services will conduct a mass screening for the public tomorrow in Port Moresby at the Sir John Guise Stadium and the Port Moresby Arts Theatre between 8.30am and noon.
Medical staff from HOPE, 9-Mile and UPNG clinics will be at these two sites to conduct blood sugar tests for the public.
They have advised that anyone wishing to get tested on that day must not eat anything after 10pm tonight and wait until after they get tested to have breakfast.