Non-Communicable diseases (NCDs) are becoming a socio-economic burden for Fiji as they account for an estimated 84 per cent of premature deaths in the island nation, a World Health Organisation (WHO) official said on Monday.
Shiva Anjini Singh, WHO Strategic Planning Officer, made the comments while highlighting the overview of the situation analysis of NCDs in Fiji during the Wellness and NCD consultation workshop in Suva, capital of Fiji on Monday.
Singh said NCDs are high in Fiji due to a lack of physical activity, poor diets, abuse of tobacco, alcohol and environmental factors.
She said according to a 2011 survey on NCDs, 66 per cent of the total population in Fiji was overweight or obese, 31 per cent had high blood pressure, 30.6 per cent had taken alcohol, 85 per cent ate less than five servings of fruits and vegetables in a day and 60.6 per cent of the population smoked daily.
She said Fiji should now be heading towards new strategies that can minimise the impacts of NCDs.
“Emphasis must be put on primordial prevention and enhancing wellness in the community rather than crisis management approaches,’’ she said.
In recent decades, NCDs have become the biggest killer in Fiji, which has a population of around 900,000 people, causing thousands of deaths and affecting the lives of many more.
Diabetes-related amputations in Fiji account for 40 per cent of all hospital operations, according to Professor of Surgery at Fiji National University, Eddie McCaig.
McCaig said earlier that half of the estimated 60,000 people in Fiji ignored early signs like thirst and excessive urination which was caused by diabetes.
About half of Fiji’s diabetics needed eye surgery for cataracts or laser treatment for retinopathy and their kidneys were also affected by the disease, he said.
Around 900 patients need renal dialysis annually in the island nation. (Xinhua/NAN)
