Diabetes is the common name for a range of conditions that affect how the pancreas (an organ in the digestive system) secretes insulin or how the body reacts to this hormone. With 347 million people worldwide having diabetes and a WHO projection that diabetes deaths will increase by two thirds between 2008 and 2030, it is no wonder that health authorities the world over have invested huge amounts of their resources in an attempt to increase awareness on the effects of diabetes and its complications.

Malta is no stranger to this condition with 30,000 registered diabetes sufferers.  This is an impressive figure for our small country and also reflects the constant campaign by health professionals encouraging us to achieve a healthy body weight, stay physically active and stick to a healthy diet – all simple lifestyle measures which have been shown to be effective in preventing or delaying the onset of diabetes.

World Diabetes Day was celebrated last Wednesday, 14 November, and a weeklong programme of events was organised by the Ministry of Health, Elderly and Community Care in collaboration with other organisations to mark Malta’s commitment to addressing the diabetes epidemic. The programme started yesterday week in Valletta where medical students offered free blood glucose monitoring, blood pressure and Body Mass Index measurements to all passers-by. I happened to be in Valletta and could not help noticing how high of public turnout was for this event. Medical students told me that the majority of people weighed and measured were considered obese, putting them in a risk category. Thanks to an intensive educational campaign on diabetes and its risks to our health, the general public seems to be more aware of the dangers and implications of this condition. Certainly, the health authorities have worked tirelessly to ensure that the Diabetes Unit at Mater Dei Hospital, manned by a multi professional team, offers the best services– a service that has won the admiration of the John Hopkins University in the United States for its high standards of excellent service to diabetes sufferers.

And yet, despite the huge commitment of government in this sector and the injection of investment to prevent and manage the condition, the figures remain shocking. Eleven per cent (30,000) of the population suffers from diabetes, with 87 per cent of these being overweight. Recent Eurobarometer surveys confirm that we are the confirmed overall ‘winners’ among EU countries for the highest obesity rate! The writing is on the wall and yet we simply refuse to make those little changes to our lifestyle that in the long run could help us live better and longer. With 58 per cent of us weighing in as obese, it is no wonder that the figures for diabetes speak for themselves.

Despite being armed with sufficient evidence that a large proportion of cases of diabetes can be prevented by a healthy lifestyle and regular physical activity, it seems to me that the majority of Maltese are happy to undergo endless and repeated hospital appointments, health checkups and round the clock testing rather than adjusting their lifestyles. Reducing intake of food and upping exercise levels could very well do away with the cycle of testing, checking and treating and yet to many Maltese this is anathema. For some, it’s as though checking sugar and blood glucose levels is a passport to their next pastizzi and qassatat fix!

This condition is a serious reality that has been approached conscientiously by the health authorities and health care professionals.  And yet I regret to say that the same level of commitment is not evident from the Maltese sufferer or potential sufferer. There is a lot that we can do for ourselves and for our children to ensure that we contain this epidemic, ultimately ensuring not only a healthier future for us all but also relieving the pressure on our health system. Acceptance, denial and avoidance should not form part of our vocabulary.  As a nation we have battled larger demons and together we can fight to ensure that we no longer top the charts for inactivity. Each one of us should bear this personal responsibility and aim to increase levels of activity to combat obesity (Obesity was once considered the problem of high income countries!).   The message is in education and prevention. My life, my responsibility − less food, more exercise please!

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Ms Galea is a PN candidate on the 4th and 6th districts