BY MAVIS N PODOKOLO
Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) is increasing at a rate of 15-20 percent every year.
Dr Jones Ghabu, head of Internal Medicine Consultant Physician Responsible for NCD and Diabetic Centre, said this is according to NCD statistic admission.
“Our local Statistic showed NCD admission to NRH is increasing at a rate of 15-20 percent every year and is becoming a common knowledge to all of us that NCD has hit a crisis point for the health system in our happy isles,” Gabu said.
He said each day clinicians diagnose, admit and certify NCDs (diabetes) among our people.
“Diabetes is the number-one cause of death for all ages in Solomon Island over these past years, increasing at the rate of 4.83 percent each year.
“We need to arm ourselves for war against NCD (diabetes) at all levels of health system and services. We have a WAR to fight. In war, we need trained soldiers or commandos, we need ammunitions, and we need battle ships and tankers. We need the standard operation guide or the battle field plan,” Gabu said.
He adds that doctors, nurses and paramedics have been trained under the SolPEN programme.
Chief Executive Officer to National Referral Hospital Dr George Malefoasi when speaking of hospital statistics also mentioned some of the NCD admission related figures.
Malefoasi said the number of admissions of Diabetic cases make up the majority of NCDs by around 60 percent and hypertension 40percent of the total since 2018.
In 2020 the total of 283 hypertension were admitted. Whilst the total of 494 were due to diabetes.
“Of this total the majority 97 percent were type-2 non-insulin diabetes cases (483) and insulin-dependent of (11),” he said.
Malefoasi said to the deaths record at NRH from 2018 to 2020, the medical ward which makes up 34 percent of all cumulative deaths record of 1,688 in total over the three years period. And most of these deaths were due to end-stage and NCD complications.
He said these statistics showed burden of the diabetes and other NCDs is having an impact on the limited resources and services of the NRH and MHMS.
The above statements were stressed at the opening of a diabetic clinic at the National Referral Hospital.
