Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka shared his personal experiences with diabetes during the launch of the Diabetes Campaign 2024 at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva. He expressed the loss of family members to the disease and emphasized the importance of health awareness among Fijians.
Reflecting on his family’s history, Rabuka recounted the deaths and health struggles faced by his loved ones due to diabetes, including his mother who lost two infant sons to the illness and went blind in 1963. He revealed that during a recent doctor’s visit, he was advised to monitor his blood sugar levels closely, prompting him to take preventive measures.
Rabuka noted that in 2020, Fiji saw approximately 5,700 deaths due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs). He highlighted the alarming financial burden these health issues place on individuals, families, the workforce, and the government. The Prime Minister pointed out that nearly 80 percent of deaths in Fiji are attributed to diabetes and other NCDs, a figure that continues to rise.
He stressed that everyone, from children to the elderly, is susceptible to the risk factors for NCDs, which include unhealthy eating habits, lack of physical activity, tobacco use, and excessive alcohol consumption. According to Rabuka, many lives are curtailed by serious health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and cancers.
Additionally, he mentioned that globally, one in ten adults has diabetes, with the majority being type 2 diabetes cases, many of which remain undiagnosed.