Trinidad and Tobago has a 15 per cent incidence of diabetes, higher than the global average of ten per cent.
One of the major challenges of the Ministry of Health is to get people with diabetes to make the necessary lifestyle changes and take the medication it provides to reduce the disease's impact on their lives, says Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh.
He was speaking at the opening of the Diabetes Association of TT’s (DATT) Carlton Phillips Diabetes Symposium at the Teaching and Learning Auditorium at the UWI, St Augustine Campus on Saturday.
His audience comprised health practitioners, students and members of the Diabetes Association from Penal, Erin, Princes Town, Sangre Grande, Tobago, San Fernando, Gasparillo, Point Fortin and other areas
Deyalsingh told them he had Type 2 diabetes, a common condition that causes the level of sugar (glucose) in the blood to become too high.
He said he made changes to his life to help him manage the disease.
"I stopped drinking sugar in my coffee, I can stop drinking Coca-Cola and Pepsi, and I can stop eating a tumbler of ice cream every Sunday."
But he lamented, "Not everyone has it in them to make the changes.”
He said the Health Ministry spends millions to provide drugs, but people were not taking them.
One person said as a young Type 2 diabetic, she had experienced a lot of stigma around having diabetes, and this had affected her mental health.
“I’ve had nurses at health centres ask me, ‘What did you do to make yourself diabetic so young?’ and, ‘Do you want to give yourself a heart attack or stroke?’ and the language used brings this sense of huge guilt and shame. I need for you to advocate for healthcare workers to be aware of the language they use."
Deyalsingh said this was an important point, as he had met people who felt guilty about even telling their families.
Another audience member said there was a need for education in schools and religious institutions, which Deyalsingh said was already being done.
[caption id="attachment_1046349" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Attendees at the Diabetes Association of TT’s (DATT) Carlton Phillips Diabetes Symposium at the Teaching and Learning Auditorium at the UWI, St Augustine Campus on November 18 - Photo by Paula Lindo[/caption]
He said the problem was a global issue, with people being split into two categories: those with health-seeking behaviour and those who don’t seek health.
Lisa Roberts said in her clinical practice, diabetics with burnout and depression could not find psychologists to help them manage these conditions.
Deyalsingh said the public health system could not accommodate 10,000 people seeking mental wellness, and referred her to the ministry’s FindCareTT website.
Another participant said more education was needed about the drugs and their side effects, as sometimes patients did not understand what the prescribed medication did.
An audience member said she would like the minister to advocate for a work-from-home policy.
“The hours we spend in traffic going to and com
