Pre-diabetes Local health practitioners are meeting in Kingstown this week in a consultation and workshop as part of the “Integrated Team-Based Care Model for Diabetes”.
The consultation and workshop are the first of three components of the capacity building project for the prevention and control of diabetes; a partnership between the Governments of Taiwan and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The one-week consultation and workshop has as its main objective to design a model of care for type 2 diabetes that is integrated, team based, patient-centered and addresses lifestyle risk factors and self-management.
It will also seek to develop strategies for the early detection and management of in SVG.
Speaking at a ceremony to officially open the workshop on Monday, Chief Health Promotion Officer in the Ministry of Health, Patsy Wyllie, applauded the partnership which she said has an investment of two million dollars.
Wyllie said that they are fully aware of the impact of diabetes on individuals, families and the country and that the investment and expertise of the Taiwanese is welcomed in the fight against diabetes in SVG.
She was one of three persons who visited Taiwan to observe and gather information about Taiwan’s model of the programme.
Dr. Yung-Wei Hsu, who is leading the Taiwanese medical team to SVG to help implement the project, said he hopes the program contributes to helping people who are suffering with diabetes.
He added that his hospital in Taiwan is credited with being the first to implement the team care model in his country and that his team has more than 20 years of experience.
And Dr. Del Hamilton, the project coordinator, explained that there are three components to the project, the first being the workshop and consultation.
The second component deals with heath care facilities, Hamilton said, adding that this has to do with providing training for local health care providers.
One such group has already visited Taiwan for two months and another group of at least 10 will be visiting shortly.
The third component will look at community participation, more specifically, self-based care.
Hamilton said that this component is important as research has shown that when dealing with chronic diseases, health practitioners must have a partnership with their clients, making them equal partners in the management of their conditions to be successful.
THANKS TO TAIWAN FOR CONTRIBUTING TO ALLOWING PEOPLE A BETTER WAY OF MANAGING DIABETES.
However, there are still two elephants in the room.
1. educating the masses about healthy living,maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and consuming healthy meals.
2 .providing those with diabetes the knowledge, tools and support for managing diabetes.
3, setting up and providing proactive care and programs which include screening especially for those with genetic tendencies and other risk factors.
4. Maintaining databases for all those diagnosed with diabetes and maintang statistics so that those who have families that have diabetes will be tested earlier and treated.
You still need to educate people about nutrition. This is as important or even more so that some of the medications that are disastrous to human health and are having significant adverse effect on people’s health. Here in SVG, WE HAVE ORGANICALLY GROWN FOODS THAT IN MOST CASES ARE NOT PROCESSED. WE HAVE MEAT THAT IN MOST CASES ARE GRASS FED. We have fish and seafood that in most cases have very little mercury. Wo need to educate our people about utilizing these food s and food products. We need to stress therapeutic nutrition and why it is important to eat adequate portions of foods and to become actively and consistently involved in physical activities and exercises.
We are what we eat and it certainly shows! Let us bring nutrition into all of the schools and learning institutions from kindergarten to community college and beyond. Medications alone is just a stop gap to manage diabetes. Educating the masses as how to eat properly and how much to eat measuring portions will go a longer way reducing overweight and obesity.
I’m from Canada because it’s minus 35 degrees centigrade there now, so here is much nicer than staying indoors all day. I go for a fasting glucose blood test every three months ideally. I’m at risk for type 2 diabetes. No one gets amputated for diabetes in Canada. They take medication, Metfor, manage their diet and test their blood sugar daily. Those little devices don’t hurt. They aren’t that expensive, but that cost can be subsidized by government, if need be. Most of my friends live in poverty basically, but if they have diabetes they have one, and a cheap supply of the testing strips. My friends want to go off the meds and manage simply by diet and activity, but it involves having an ideal weight, and that is a game killer. The fasting glucose test requires a 12 hour fast, water only, easily done overnight, with a delayed breakfast until after testing. I can view my results online within 24-48 hours usually so I see my doctor a lot less.