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Multi-pronged war waged against diabetes, NCDs
Dr. Uditha Bulugahapitiya
Hectic is the activity in a room on the ground floor of ‘Wijerama House’ in Colombo 7, the office of the Sri Lanka College of Endocrinologists (SLCE), based at the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA).
Stacked high against the walls are drawings, while the tables are piled high with essays and CDs, all from schoolchildren across the country who have shown their prowess at competitions, organised by the SLCE in all three languages of English, Sinhala and Tamil.
It is part of the war against diabetes and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) that Sri Lanka has been waging and these latest preparations are to mark World Diabetes Day, which is celebrated on November 14. As that Monday is a national holiday, the day’s activities on the theme ‘Act Today to Change Tomorrow’ have been brought forward to Sunday, November 13.
The National Programme on this day will be held in Colombo with a high-powered ‘National Diabetes Walk’ from Independence Square to the BMICH at 6.30 a.m., followed by a Question & Answer’ session with top-level Medical Specialists including Endocrinologists who double up as Diabetologists; an exhibition, awareness programmes and free health screening.
The activists are being provided leadership by SLCE President Dr. Uditha Bulugahapitiya, Sri Lanka Diabetes Federation (SLDF) Chairman Dr. Noel Somasundaram and Diabetes Walk Chief Organiser Dr. Prasad Katulanda with unstinting support from the Health Ministry’s NCD Bureau headed by Dr. Champika Wickramasinghe and NCD Programme Director Dr. Tilak Siriwardena.
The political commitment from the highest level to battle the ‘NCD enemy’ will be obvious, as President Maithripala Sirisena and Health Ministry officials, donning white-and-blue T-shirts and caps will engage in a warm-up and exercise session organised by the Sports Ministry and then take to the streets for the two-km walk. Those accompanying the Head of State will be Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne; Director-General of Health Services, Dr. Palitha Mahipala; and numerous officials, doctors, other professionals and members of the public.
While free health screening will cover medical check-ups including eye and foot screening and custom-made dietary and exercise advice; the awareness programmes will place the spotlight on such topics as: ‘What is diabetes?’, ‘Myths about diabetes’, ‘Diabetes & women’, ‘Your heart and diabetes’, ‘Protecting your feet and eyes’ and ‘Protecting your kidneys’.
“Our work goes much beyond the walk and activities on this day,” says Dr. Bulugahapitiya, explaining that in Galle, Kurunegala, Kandy, Badulla, Anuradhapura, Jaffna, Trincomalee and Batticaloa too there will be many events.
Dr. Noel Somasundaram
Paying tribute to all his colleagues who have joined the bandwagon to fight NCDs, he says much support has come from the SLMA and different colleges including the physicians, the cardiologists, the surgeons, the obstetricians & gynaecologists, the ophthalmologists (eye surgeons) and the paediatricians.
Pointing out that diabetes, high blood pressure and abnormal cholesterol are highly prevalent in society and all these increase the risk of heart disease and stroke, Dr. Somasundaram stresses that prevention of these risk factors should begin from early childhood. Prevention is mainly through lifestyle-changes, which include eating nutritious food in the right proportions, maintaining a healthy weight and exercising. This is why the SLDF, the public arm of the SLCE, is promoting these changes.
The ‘foot soldiers’ in the war against NCDs are not only children but also teachers and parents and anyone who is ready to take the message forward, the Sunday Times learns.
As such, public empowerment has been and is a major focus of the SLCE. That its efforts through the SLDF have achieved its target is obvious from the 5,000 entries received for the All-island Essay, Art and Multimedia Competitions for Schoolchildren titled ‘Act today for a better tomorrow’.
“Some change-agents have already joined forces with us in the battle against NCDs,” says Dr. Bulugahapitiya, adding that Lions Clubs and Singer Megas across the 25 districts will act as ‘hubs’ to disseminate information about diabetes.
Reiterating that people need to know that silence in the face of killer NCDs including diabetes will have a terrible impact, Dr. Katulanda says that awareness is being created through a blitz of messages on the electronic and print media.
“Small steps, such as cutting down on the sugar intake, a little at a time,” is propagated by Dr. Somasundaram, while Dr. Katulanda pinpoints that healthy eating and exercise can prevent 50% of diabetes.
Next year, armed with tools developed by Prof. Pujitha Wickramasinghe of the Colombo Medical Faculty and Consultant Endocrinologist Dr. Kavinga Gunawardena of the Kandy Teaching Hospital and in close coordination with the Education Ministry, teachers will be taught how to give ‘lessons’ on lifestyle-changes to the students under them. “Then we hope the children will carry these lessons home and persuade parents to act similarly,” says Dr. Somasundaram.
Dr. Prasad Katulanda
They are also working with health personnel such as doctors, nurses and public health midwives at the grassroots to keep tabs on those with NCDs in their areas and thus come up with comprehensive registers. The 800 Healthy Lifestyle Centres (HLCs) are playing an important role, it is learnt, while the Health Ministry has gone that extra mile to provide drugs to these centres to dispense to those with NCDs.
“The people must make good use of all these facilities,” says Dr. Katulanda, lamenting that when the public is requested to get their blood checked at the HLCs, sometimes only 25% of the men turn up. Even when told that blood would be collected from them in their very homes, the response is sometimes poor.
He compares NCDs to “kanda uda thiyena galak” (a rock at the summit of a mountain). “You must take action before it starts rolling down, for once it is on the way, nothing can stop it. This is why people should be vigilant.”
All three Endocrinologists have only one plea: “Let’s gather around for a diabetes-free tomorrow.”
