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HEALTHAmidst the flurry of selfdefeatistbeating of ourcountry and force-fed barrageof despair, we, as a nation, can donothing but to find our own avenuesof hope. It is in times like these thatour strength, patience and unity as anation are severely tested. When thishappens, we should firmly rise up andstand our ground, in a way that saysto the world: “We are a nation filledwith unshakeable hope.” I found suchan avenue of hope when I witnessedmy mother, Prisca Ngema, steadfastlyconfronting diabetes for nearly threedecades before her passing in 1997.I also recently found this avenue ofhope when statistics from the MedicalResearch Council revealed that ourlife expectancy had risen from below57 to 60. Indeed, this is great news forour country, especially in times when– if you are prone to listening to andfollowing the media – all is gloomyand going downhill.At every instance that I happento have the pleasure of meeting ourable, competent and passionate duo ofHealth Minister Dr Aaron Motsoalediand his deputy, Dr Gwen Ramokgopa,I see this avenue of hope coming tolife all over again. I think to myself,we are actually a truly blessednation, because of our huge potentialto do things right. When I see usdelivering for the first time a nationalplan towards 2030, I believe we arecharting a clearer path to a brighterfuture. For without a clear directionin the form of the new national plan,we would most probably be travellingin darkness, affording the mostpessimistic in our midst to have yetanother field day of gloom talk.It is in the context of the strategicsteps that we are taking as a nationthat I call upon all of us to reflectupon non-communicable diseases ingeneral, but the diabetes pandemicin particular. Statistics reveal thatthe burden of disease related tonon-communicable diseases is likelyto increase substantially, with theworld tipped to spend nearly US$600billion on diabetes healthcare by2030, up from the current US$465billion. By now, we all shouldknow that diabetes exacerbatestuberculosis (TB) and HIV and Aids.Therefore, our collective failure todeal immediately and decisively withthe diabetes pandemic by havingmassive programmes similar tothose through which we’ve tackledHIV and Aids might prove our greatundoing in many respects. Even thewars we seem to be winning – as theHIV and Aids scenario now promisesus – might prove short-lived. Andshould that happen, I shudder even toimagine what world we would leavebehind for future generations.The fight against diabetes andassociated diseases is one we have thepower to win, both individually andcollectively. But we have to take thefirst step to elevate it to the national,continental and global psyche – firstlyeducating ourselves and then alsothose around us on what needs tobe done. What needs to be done isself-awareness about the state ofour individual health; taking controlMadame Bongi Ngema-Zuma’s mission is to advance education and ruraldevelopment, thereby promoting healthy lifestyles among all South Africans.About diabetesDiabetes is a chronic disease that arises when the pancreas does not produceenough insulin, or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin itproduces. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas, which enables cellsto absorb glucose from the blood and use it for energy. Failure to produceinsulin, or of insulin to act properly, or both, leads to raised glucose (sugar)levels in the blood (hyperglycaemia). This is associated with complicationssuch as cardiovascular, kidney, nerve and eye disease, which could lead tolong-term damage to the body as well as organ and tissue failure.There are three main types of diabetes: Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body’sdefence system attacks the insulin-producing cells. People with this form ofdiabetes, usually children or young adults, need daily insulin injections. A lackof access to insulin may be fatal. Type 2 diabetes accounts for at least 90% ofall diabetes cases. It is characterised by insulin resistance and relative insulindeficiency, and is usually diagnosed after the age of 40, very often based onassociated complications or incidentally. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM)is associated with high blood glucose levels during pregnancy. GDM usuallydisappears after pregnancy, but affected women and their offspring are at anincreased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.Progressive women in business 49