By Henry Uche, Lagos
As diabetes (been among the first 10 deadly diseases globally) continue to kill people at alarming rate, medical experts have cautioned Nigerians against the practice of western lifestyle which has caused more harm in their overall well-being as against the people’s traditional way of living especially on food intake.
According to them, the unrestrained intake of chemically-processed and inorganic foods leading to obesity and other health challenges has caused diabetes and other chronic diseases and avoidable deaths.
Speaking at stakeholders (health sector) training put together by The Lions Club International, a medical consultant, Dr Ope-Oluwa Fasanmade, said diabetes in Nigeria is reaching pandemic level owing to westernisation on African culture, adding that People need to go back to the traditional lifestyle which kept the older generation healthy even til 90 and 100 years.
‘We must go back to our roots and begin to eat fresh foods, do excercise and adopt healthy lifestyle. Obesity is not a sign of affluence neither is slimness a disease. We better go back unlearn these modern way of living. Our natural vegetation are there our own good as our parents and grandparents explored natural foods and live long, so anyone with obesity is prone to serious danger when he or she falls sick while the risks and probability of death involved with people living with diabetes is very high,’ Dr Fasanmade said.
The endocrinologist advised that every educational institutes and corporate bodies should have a recreational ground like football pitch for regular body exercise while those given to voracious and gluttonous lifestyle should desist, hence a diabetic case in a family for instance affects every other member of the family.
On her part, Project Chairperson, LCIF, Dr Christine Adebajo, added that the free testing, screening and treatment is taking place in all the Primary Health Care Facilities in 22 Local Government Areas of Lagos, including Ikorodu, Ikeja, Showmolu, Yaba, Ikpaja, Surulere and others. She implored citizens to take advantage of the offer and get tested, screened and treated.
She warned that if diabetes is not treated on time, it could cause more harm to the body system, advised that people should go out to the nearest Primary Health Care Facilities to them and get the free rare medical aid as the exercise has already begun. ‘People should stop taking their health for granted. We are offering comprehensive Healthcare in the aforementioned Primary Health Care Facilities, we can refer persons to tertiary Health Care Facilities when cases are beyond our capacity. We shall move to other States of the federation like Abuja, Nassarawa, Akwa Ibom, it’s a continuous project,’ she said.
Also speaking, the grant administration and initiator of the diabetes Project of Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) diabetes Project, Abiodun Adediji, said the club would continue to partner with Pharmaceutical companies and others to render selfless services to the society as its mandate stipulates.
Adediji added that he was confident in the training offered to health Care personnel in 20 Primary Health Care Centres which includes: community Heath workers, community health extensions workers, record officers, crowd controllers, steering committee, nurses, medical doctors and others would meet the goal of the project.
‘It’s part of our mandate to offer selfless services to humanity for the sake of divinity such as this, because we are made to serve and we shall keep the ball rolling,’ he stated.