Dr Fong calls for healthier lifestyle
NON-COMMUNICABLEdiseases (NCDs) continue to be the number one killer of Fijians in the last two years despite the COVID-19 pandemic having grabbed more headlines. This as 6600 Fijians in 2020 and 5800 in 2021 died as a result of NCD related diseases.
Ministry of Health and Medical Services permanent secretary, Dr James Fong has cautioned “not to be fooled by the slight decrease” in numbers.
“This was only the case because Fiji was in the middle of battling a global pandemic. While we don’t technically list them NCDs, NCDs were a contributing factor to many deaths caused by COVID-19,” Dr Fong said.
He said the number of deaths caused by NCDs or diseases like heart disease, cerebral vascular disease, hypertension, cancers, chronic lower respiratory disease, kidney disease and mental health illness was staggering for a population of less than a million.
Dr Fong explained that these are complex diseases that differ in very important ways but they share risk factors as “they are often caused by the overconsumption of foods that are high in cholesterol, fat and salt and by a lack of physical exercise”.
“Smoking and high alcohol intake also aggravate these diseases. You don’t have to be a doctor to see the pattern here.”
Without mincing his words, Dr Fong said “our eating and our lifestyle habits are killing us” but that this message was not to place blame or evoke shame among anyone.
“On the contrary, what we want is to raise an alarm bell, a heartfelt plea to every single Fijians to pause and reflect on your life right now.”
He said what’s more worrying was the pervasive nature of poor eating habits as it can be passed on to the next generation.
Highlighting some of the lifestyle changes that can reverse this trend, Dr Fong advocates decreasing intake of fatty oily fried foods, including eating large amounts of butter and ghee, red meat, fast food, foods that are high in salt, sugary drinks and foods; high carbohydrate and starchy foods and alcohol.
Reiterating the call for more healthy foods like fresh vegetables and fruits, he said this was not only abundantly available in the markets and supermarkets but can also be grown in backyard gardens.
“If you’re living with an NCD currently make sure you to schedule your regular consultations with your doctor to ensure that you’re managing your condition well and staying on top of medication. Make a commitment now to clean up your diet.”
Furthermore, Dr Fong has encouraged that a simple weekly exercise plan or at least 45 minutes of brisk walking every day was incorporated into the lifestyle of every Fijian.