By Amin Kef Sesay
According to the latest facts and figures on Diabetes, globally, 63 million adults (1-in-11) were living with diabetes in 2019 and the number of people living with diabetes is expected rise to 578 million by 2030.
Also, 1 in 2 adults with diabetes remain undiagnosed (232 million). The majority have type 2 diabetes.
Furthermore, more than 3 in 4 people with diabetes live in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) with Diabetes causing 4.2 million deaths in 2019.
There are many reasons as to why diabetes is claiming lives and is a global health concern. Factors like obesity due to adoption of unhealthy and sedentary lifestyle play a big role, not to forget about stress, depression, smoking and alcohol intake.
In Sierra Leone, a national data on the prevalence of diabetes does not exist, however it is a health concern that we should all be aware of. A recent cross-sectional study in Sierra Leone highlights a high prevalence to cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) in older people and access to care is poor, hence the emergent need of strengthening our health system.
CVRS include increased lipid in our body, obesity, family history of diabetes, hypertension and smoking etc. As individuals, recognising and avoiding these risk factors can prevent early onset of diabetes or any cardiovascular event that could lead to complications. The need for health check-ups at least every year, adoption of healthy lifestyle cannot be over emphasized. We need to help ourselves in order to have a healthier community for a better Sierra Leone. In as much as the health system is fragile, we can help in reducing the burden of our health care system and Government expenditure on health.
World Diabetes Day (WDD) fell on November 14th and was a day the whole world recognised to create an awareness and draw attention to relevant issues related to diabetes, which keep the public informed and policy makers to take action.
WDD is the largest health campaign in the world which reaches a global audience of up to 1 billion in more than 160 countries.
This year, the well-known Dr.Manal Ghazzawi and Team, commemorated the day in Sierra Leone at Matotoka, which happens to be her grandma’s hometown.
They screened more than 500 people at Matotoka, Makeni, Kono and Kenema in which 34 people were newly found to be most likely diabetic, having high blood glucose levels above normal, upon fasting.
Based on what the team intimated they said during their campaign, they were able to distribute 100 glucometers to those suspected of being diabetic and those already diagnosed with diabetes.
Dr. Dr.Manal Ghazzawi extended thanks to all their partners for making such become a reality further expressing the wish that by next year they will be able to do a bigger campaign in the fight against diabetes by targeting more vulnerable groups in hard to reach areas.
“I plead to all prospective partners to help us accomplish our purpose in the fight against diabetes in Sierra Leone,” she appealed.
The theme for this year for the WDD 2020 was “Nurses and Diabetes”. It was geared towards gearing raise awareness on the important role nurses play in supporting people living with diabetes.
In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that global shortage of nurses in 2018 was 5.9 million and 89% of that shortage is concentrated in low- and middle-income countries.
The Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS) significantly needs to invest in capacity building of its health workforce. Nurses and other supporting health care staffs can help in the following: Diagnosing diabetes early to ensure prompt treatment, providing self-management training and psychological support for people with diabetes to help prevent complications, tackling the risk factors for type 2 diabetes to help prevent the condition.
One major complication of the most prevalent non-communicable diseases like diabetes and hypertension is kidney failure, despite all the advancement in health care globally, the poor in Sierra Leone end up dying, due to lack of funds to pay for a dialysis session. There is only one dialysis facility in Freetown, with a session alone costing as much as $100. It is our basic human right to have a robust health system that caters for our health needs.
Dr.Manal Ghazzawi said such is why they are advocating for better health systems and using the WDD as an advocacy avenue to improve health care in Sierra Leone, focusing on diabetes and also other illnesses, saying people are indeed tired of spending thousands of dollars to cater for their health care needs from neighbouring African countries or others.
She highlighted that on behalf of people living with and affected by diabetes, they are advocating that the national Government recognises and advance the role of nurses and other health care professionals in diabetes care.
“We call on Government to strengthen access to preventive services, easy access to care, readily available and affordable health care and management,” she furthered.
