Blog: Health Matters - A Time Bomb

Now that the Prime Minister, Dr Navin Ramgoolam, has spoken publicly on the state of health of Mauritians at the two days seminars on cardiovascular diseases held at Maritim Hotel, is it not time for all of us to pay heed to the serious situation we find ourselves in connection with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases of Mauritians? Health should be a major concern for all of us, not only for the Minister of Health or the doctors, nurses and health personnel.

The Prime Minister has not spoken anything which is new or not known, but only confirmed with the authority of his office that Mauritians are sick. We have the highest rate of diabetes in the world, cardiovascular diseases and hypertension disorders. Also we are among the highest consumers of alcohol, cigarettes and drugs. Obesity is prevalent among the children. The tragedy is that we are all aware of these facts. We are also aware of the impact it has on our life and our dear and near ones. We are also aware of its impact on our productivity and the economy. Then, why do we not take the steps required to fight these diseases?

The government has done its part. It has provided for an excellent free health service, manned by highly qualified doctors, nurses and paramedical staff. I have personally benefited from this excellent service recently. I had to undergo a minor surgery on my elbow at the SSR hospital. What fine hands the surgeon had! I have had the opportunity to avail myself of medical treatment abroad. I can safely confirm that our medical service is second to none.

The Prime Minister has announced that he is going to create a specialized hospital for old people and another one for women. By providing free transport to the old, he has made doctors and medicine accessible to them. There was a time when doctors and medicine were free but the old patients had no money to pay for transport to receive proper treatment. All this shows that we are a caring society.

However, today the problem is different. Whatever services we are going to provide with taxpayer’s money will be inadequate to make Mauritius fit and Mauritians healthy. Even the advent of specialized hospitals in the private sector like Apollo, Fortis and Agarwal will not be able to alter the situation much. There is need to devise a totally new strategy to address the health problems of the Mauritian society. In fact what I am proposing is to put all the resources available on a war footing.

At present, there is a piece meal approach from different ministries and institutions like the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Social Security, Natresa and some other NGOs. All these efforts have proved to be totally insufficient. As a developing society, we are also suffering from modern diseases such as stress, depression and unhealthy lifestyle. We have seen a proliferation of fast food outsets, excessive consumption of sugary drinks, bad eating habits, consumptions of oily foods full of cholesterol, all leading to an unhealthy lifestyle. Origins of these problems are somehow cultural and therefore, difficult to resolve. We have a habit of consuming rice, flour and potatoes together for one meal, surplus of carbohydrates!

Although we know that eating certain foods can increase our heart disease risk it is tough to change these eating habits. Once we know which foods to eat more and which foods to limit, we will on our way towards a heart healthy diet. The solution is not easy. There is no ready made answer and it is not a political issue. We as a nation have to address our health problems.

Will it be too much for me to call upon all priests, pundits, maulanahs to spare five minutes at their beginning of the sermons to talk about health matter, particularly diabetes and the related complications? Will it not be possible for the Ministry of Education to include in its curriculum from pre-primary to tertiary levels health education with the guidance of dieticians? Even the teachers could be trained to inculcate elementary healthy food habits that will define the lifestyle of young people.

Regarding physical education, I am aware that there are trained teachers at school but there is not enough emancipation of all concerned stakeholders to encourage young people into sports and daily physical activities for their own well being.

I have noticed that there is much illiteracy of the food culture. We are not knowledgeable the variety of vitamins, fibre, nutrients and calories contained in our food servings.. Mauritians love to satisfy their palate without caring for the hazards on their health whereas food itself can be their pharmacy.

Fortunately, today, solutions are available in many forms and can be delivered with the aid of the media and civil society. What is really needed is to bring in a change in ourselves and in our lifestyles. In order to attack all the above mentioned diseases, a multi pronged approach is required.

Recently, we had the visit of Swami Ramdev and some other eminent Gurus.

Daily through the Aastha channel available, Swami Ramdev is not only preaching yoga but showing how to introduce alternative medicine in our daily lives. Miracles have been witnessed by the whole world.

Pravind Jugnauth, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, will be well inspired for preventive medicine and promotion of healthy lifestyle in order to diffuse the time bomb on which we are sitting upon. I wish to conclude with the following words of wisdom:

1.    “Taking control of your life can be a daily celebration, a renewable resolution and as gradual as the change in the seasons.” - John Mehrmann.
2.    “I still need more healthy rest in order to work ay my best. My health is the main capital I have and I want to administer it intelligently.” - Earnest Hemingway.
3.    “Exercise alone provides psychological and physical benefits. However, if you also adopt a strategy that engages your mind while you exercise, you can get a whole host of psychological benefits fairly quickly.”