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(L-R) Chief Medical Officer of St Kitts and Nevis Dr Patrick Martin and Ms Shirley Wilkes Health Educator in the Ministry of Health on Nevis. |
CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (March 16, 2006) -- Chief Medical Officer in St Kitts and Nevis Dr Patrick Martin, has applauded the move by diabetics on Nevis to band themselves together to fight diabetes as an association.
He was at the time delivering remarks at the launch of the Nevis Diabetic Association at the Red Cross Conference Room in Charlestown on Thursday.
There are two choices for Nevisian diabetics. On one hand, sit at home in front of your television with your coffins polished or on the other hand, pool your cognitive and physical energies in a campaign to reduce the diabetes burden.
"I highly recommend the latter and dismiss the doing of nothing as foolish. We must attack these disease together " health professionals, administrators, patients and friends and family. The attack is two fold: prevention and early intervention. Prevention and early intervention are decidedly cheaper than amputations, eye surgery and dialysis,' he said.
Dr Martin referred to the Nevis Diabetic Association as being a co pilot and a critical partner in the public health struggle to control diabetes. He said it was his administrative duty to speak of the qualitative fact that all of the governments in the region were struggling with the expensive weight of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, gunshot wounds and alcoholism, compounded by the fact that some in the community demanded more while contributed little or nothing.
"Health administration needs you to encourage friends and family to take care of their health seriously, more seriously than cell phones and big screen TV's. What use is a television to you if your eyesight is lost from diabetes? Health is a personal responsibility.....In the final analysis each adult is responsible for what goes into his or her body," he said.
The Chief Medical Officer said there was no cure on the horizon for diabetes but there was control through knowledge, empowerment, discipline and health maintenance check ups. Knowledge is power and there is strength in numbers.
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A section of persons at the launch of the Nevis Diabetic Association. |
The executive led by Mr Conrad Liburd as President comprises of Ms Janette Herbert as vice president, Ms Shirley Wilkes as Secretary; Ms Jacqueline France as Treasurer, Mrs Icilma Daniel as Assistant Secretary Treasurer and Mr Joseph Liburd as Public Relations Officer. The executive also includes the six presidents from the diabetic associations and six health care workers from the health districts on the island.
Meantime, Ms Shirley Wilkes Health Educator in the Ministry of Health on Nevis during her remarks disclosed that diabetes coupled with hypertension have been the major cause of hospitalisation, morbidity and disability among the aged and has surfaced among persons aged 30-45.
She told the gathering that their presence at the official launch of the association was an indication that they were ready, willing and able to reach beyond their boundaries to help in the fight against hypertension and diabetes. She also urged them to support the officers who they elected to lead the association. "It would not be easy neither would it be difficult if we start with the right attitude. Let us not think "what it can do fort me" but rather, what I can contribute to this association."
