Four In Ten Fijians
Have Diabetes - Survey
Early
results from a Fiji eye health survey by New Zealand based Fred
Hollows Foundation has revealed alarming levels of diabetes
amongst people over 40.
According to the survey statistics released on Monday, a
staggering four out of every 10 people screened were found to
have diabetes, and more worryingly, a third of these were
unaware of their condition.
Concerns
Fijian Indians were shown to be most at risk with over half
of those screened having diabetes.
The survey, the first of its kind in Fiji, was undertaken by
Hollows New Zealand after seeing increasing numbers of people
with diabetic eye disease, which can be blinding if not detected
and treated early enough.
Hollows NZ's International Program Director, Tom Schaefer said
the impact of this epidemic on an already overstretched health
system should not be underestimated.
’’The survey results will be invaluable in refining the diabetes
eye health service we set up in September through Hollows NZ
training centre, the Pacific Eye Institute, in partnership with
the Colonial War Hospital,'' he added.
An important part of this service will be training eye health
professionals in diabetic eye disease diagnosis and treatment.
Doctors and technicians from Fiji, Samoa, the Solomon Islands
and Tonga will start training at Hollows NZ's Pacific Eye
Institute from February 2010.
Xinhua/NAN/Yinka
