Trends in diabetes worry Health Minister

Health Minister Julius Timothy has said recent trends in diabetes in Dominica must be taken seriously since the disease remains the number one cause of death in Dominica.

Today (Wednesday) Dominica is joining the rest of the world to observe World Diabetes Day under the theme “Diabetes Protect Our Future”.

In an address to mark the occasion, Timothy said he is concerned with the increase of diabetes-related amputations.

“I am deeply concerned with the increase in the number of amputations due to diabetic ulcers, a preventable condition in Dominica. Diabetes is known to be a contributing factor to the development of blindness and kidney disease,” he said.

Timothy says over 35 persons are presently on dialysis at the Princess Margaret Hospital, many of whom are as a result of diabetes.

The health minister said it is time that families and communities begin to take responsibility to protect the health of future generations.

“This calls for a strengthening of links between the population, the ministry of health, the business community, church and other governmental organizations”, he said.

He said several measures could be taken to prevent the disease.

He called for the reduction of harmful use of alcohol and tobacco, daily consumptions of fruits and exercise as some of the measures that can be taken.

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11 Comments

  1. out of south city
    November 14, 2012

    If we don’t get back to planting, growing our own fruits and vegetables like we used to we are doomed for all manner of sickness and disease.
    We are from the soil and the creator has put every mineral and substance in the soil that our bodies need. When we eat unhealthy foods such as fast foods with no substance how can our bodies be nourished?
    Some of us have forgotten how to walk and instead we use vehicles to take us where we need to go. As 500 hundred years behind mentioned, too much salt, sugar and oil(fat) will also lead to sickness. The less we can consume these products, the better for the body.
    We really need to change our lifestyles and get back to where we were before. Let’s not copy the lifestyles of these European and American countries.

  2. Be Nice
    November 14, 2012

    I got this study on the Natural Health Column. I checked it out and you should check it too.
    It is a study with American Indians and Diabetes. http://www.davidlynchfoundation.org. You be the judge

  3. OH MY
    November 14, 2012

    i have a dominican husband and when he met me i was thick, he loved that , when i decided to exercise and look fit and small he was furious, this is the reason my timothy i do that ,,,, for my health , went dowm 4 sizes in 6 months with lots of exercise and no carbs what soever, so thanks for the article, my husband should see that, i said to him i am doing this for me not for you, which is him

  4. Piper
    November 14, 2012

    The health care providers must start treating people instead of diseases. I can bet my last dollar that very few people monitor their such that they catch problems early enough that it does not case them harm.

    Diabetes is most destructive when it is caught after it has causes damage to the body. If caught early, properly monitored and adequate lifestyle changes are made, few of these people will have to undergo those debilitating procedures. I have friends who have been diabetic for ages and they live normal lives – they monitor their health and take good care of themselves.

    Mr. Minister highlighting the problem is a good start, but it is just a start. Talking alone is not going to solve the problem. The entire health care industry – doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dieticians, educators, everybody – has to play a part in arresting this problem.

  5. November 14, 2012

    Yes Mr. Timothy, I feel you sir! I feel the same way especially when we think of the fact that Dominicans were known to be very healthy, and the fact that we still have quite a few centurians alive today is a testimony of the good health we once upon a time enjoyed in Dominica. However, things have changed rapidly here and we need to see where we have gone wrong as a nation and see what we can do to correct that. I bet you we are going to need the help of your goverment sir to correct a few things:
    1. Due to an increase in transportation where almost every household has a car today and on top of that, our farmer don’t make gardens anymore, and children don’t walk long distances to carry produces anymore, we have lost family exercise and indeed health right there. We need to make up for that by exercising more. Maybe we need to have more ‘Bel mache’ competions and also organise more community sports. Talking about it once a year is not enouch.

    2.We need to encourage people to: a)use less gramoxzone and weed-killers b)That meterd water that Dominicans are under by Dowasco, need to be stopped. The fact that farmers and families know how expensive it is to water their vegetable, most people jsut stop planting and as a result, we very few families plant their little lettuce and things of that sort c)The fact that we don’t plant as much as we did before, Restaurants and hotels are forced to import vegetables because home grown vege is just too expensive. It’s cheaper to import! government help is needed here.

    3. We use too much sugar and salt in Dominica and not enough fruits and vegetables. Everything at home, hotels, and restaurant is so sweet and salty! Government needs to reduce the use of salt and sugar especially at restaurants. Have them to to cut the use of salt, sugar & oil by 75% and make them available ONLY for those who ask for them. To put high sugar, salt, and oil for everybody forces all to eat them when they are on the road and are hugry.

    4. Apart from maybe Subway, you hardly get vegie on your sandwitch. I said except subway, but to those of us who have visited a subway in the US, will agree with me that the amout of vegie they give you in the US is nothing close to what they serve us in Dominica.

    So mr Tim, I agree with you and as minister of health, you have every reason to be worried. But there are things you and the government can do to help address these matters.

    • AHAHA
      November 14, 2012

      @500yearsbehind I’m wit you there. But let me enhance your words some more if I may. We don’t have gardens anymore so you won’t get much sale for gramaxzone from Ambrose George or4D.

      What I have noticed nowadays with our new breead of exercising people ..they buy a whole bunch of KFC and then start walking all under the Canefield cliff after, go to the Zone run on a treadmill and say it’s exercise. I don’t exercise in fact I hate it and there’s no way you’ll catch me walking or running under canefield cliff. I drive full speed.

      The hotels are not forced to import vegetables they just don’t want to pay locals a fare rate. My father have a garden and when he has a lot of carrots, cucumber and christophene two things he is likely told by some hotel and supermarkets we’ll pay you 75cents a pound…(how much does it cost to import those?)and if they do take some when you pass back the price of the produce is double what you sold it to them for. And by the way some of the supermarkets prefer to buy from the fella who doesn’t have a garden eh he is more likely to take the 75cents per pound than the real farmer. Why because the fella just harvested what the farmer planted and resell it as his own. I see it in my area every day mango dasheen grapefruit lime and so on.

      when you eat out you have options trust me. Just don’t buy there and go and get a crix buscuit and a malt. When you do buy ask a question. I see long lines everyday at Whitchurches and people do ask what is available and there are other places that cater for sweet and salty and unsweeten and not so salty. You just have to know where to look and ask for what you want. We have options. Other than that cook yourself a hearty healthy meal. End off

      You will get a lot of veggies in the US my friend because they have an aboundance of genetically induced ones that can’t last for the next day. In Dominica you are more likely to get the cucumber and tomato to make it next morning…because it has less or no genetically induced growth substance. get it. Yeah I worked at Subway too when I was at University Uk eh. Ok.

      So all in all we as individuals really are entirely responsible for what we ingest. We choose what we can afford and hope that the choice is good and healthy. We can go unhealthy sometimes when we just don’t have a dollar to buy a bread but we some flour left although it have wrigglers in it we strain that and make flour pap. yeah. Nice

  6. neutral
    November 14, 2012

    that is so sad. some dominicans like to much junk. eat properly we have eveything here.

  7. Anonymous
    November 14, 2012

    Stupes. Isn’t the health minister’s lifestyle bothering him too?

    • Anonymous2
      November 14, 2012

      Mind your own

  8. grell
    November 14, 2012

    Timothy your missing the big picture,dominicans need to stop eating all this imported foods,the sodas,can goods,type of seasonings,number one killer the sazon.Also the spaghetti loaded with starch and eat what you all grow.Very simple change my people and you will see a change in your health.

    • AHAHA
      November 14, 2012

      @grell I so agree with you. At one time they started telling us that these products was better than our chive, celery and parsley with a little garlic and vinegar to make our gravy. We are branded as poor with these fresh produce; now they have cornered the market because they wanted to import to sell at their supermarkets they turn around and tell us to eat more healthy foods. Right now it’s what we can afford is what we. A piece of dry bread and sugar water for breakfast. chicken back or the grease of it with boyoun water and the breadfruit and banana floating in it. We can’t even get Madeh anymore to substitute as dasheen. Things getting scarce. Imagine one chicken back is $3.50. Once upon not so long ago that would get you half a box of back&neck by Tonge incorporated. What’s next…the Chinese going to open a supermarket to sell under price imported chicken and Malcolm Stephens will retire.

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