Fighting diabetes: ‘Eat less, walk more, avoid junk food’

Around 6.8 million of who suffer from diabetes.

ISLAMABAD:

Eat less, walk more and avoid junk food, medical experts said on Sunday at the conclusion of a multi-stakeholder conference, where recommendations for a nationwide action plan were also formulated to tackle the diabetes epidemic in Pakistan.

The two-day “Diabetes Leadership Forum” was hosted by the Ministry of National Health Services, International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the World Diabetes Foundation and the Diabetic Association of Pakistan with support from Danish healthcare company Nova Nordisk.

Experts briefed the media at the end of the conference to clear some misconceptions about diabetes common among the people in Pakistan.



They also shared the recommendations that will soon be presented for review and approval to the federal health ministry. “Our first message is to tell everyone to “eat less, walk more,” said IDF honourary president Dr Abdul Samad Shera. “The second message is to get people to avoid the weapons of mass destruction of junk food.”

Dr Abdul Basit said there were around 6.8 million diabetics in Pakistan and another 7 million who might become diabetic soon. Basit said urgent actions are needed to save them. Doctors said each diabetic person does not need to see a consultant for treatment.

Pakistan needs around 3,000 doctors at the village or town level, around 300 clinics at the district level to look after complicated cases and some 12 to 14 tertiary care centres or hospitals to supervise the lower tiers, the experts said.

But putting this system in place and making it effective is a challenging task which will first and foremost require government’s support. So the recommendations are going to be presented to the health ministry and, after approval and consultations with the ministry, to the provinces for adoption, said Novo Nordisk Pakistan Head Rana Azfar Zafar.

They also requested the media to help clear misconceptions about diabetes. They said a lot of people think that if their doctors are prescribing them insulin, it must mean the disease has progressed beyond cure and they would die soon.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 4^th, 2014.