INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
A nationwide study conducted by local researchers has actually revealed that Sri Lanka has the greatest rate of diabetes in Asia, with
almost one in four grownups having being diagnosed.The study, carried out in 2019 by researchers from numerous regional universities, the
Medical Research Institute (MRI) in Colombo and the Institute for Health Policy (IHP), was the first nationwide survey of diabetes in Sri
Lanka that used the gold requirement method of an oral glucose tolerance test to diagnose diabetes.Results of the study, which were
published this week in the London-based British Medical Journal (BMJ) Open Diabetes Research and Care, exposed that practically one in four
Sri Lankan adults (23%) had diabetes, while another one in 3 (31%) had high blood glucose levels.Meanwhile, the results also revealed that
practically 2 in 5 individuals with diabetes (38%) have not been diagnosed.The findings also showed that geographically, the highest variety
of cases were reported in the Western Province, with as lots of as one in three cases (34%) being reported from Colombo, while Jaffna and
some other parts of the Northern and Eastern Provinces also reported high numbers
These findings suggest that Sri Lanka has the greatest rate of diabetes in Asia, and in truth one of the highest on the planet, given that
there are just a few countries-- some small Pacific Islands and locations like Egypt and the Gulf states-- with higher rates , Dr
Ravi Rannan-Eliya, Executive Director of IHP and the lead detective of the research study, said.He further prompted all persons to keep
healthy diets, and healthy weights and that they get checked on a regular basis, adding that the study further revealed that diabetes
develops at lower body weighs in Sri Lankans than in Europeans, with one in five residents (21%) of regular body weight having diabetes,
while over one million Sri Lankans remain unaware of the fact that they have the disease.Dr
Rannan-Eliya kept in mind, nevertheless, that in spite of these efforts, it is unavoidable that countless Sri Lankans will establish
diabetes in the next couple of years
Thats a reality our health system is going to have to handle for many years to come
At a time when numerous diabetes clients are having a hard time to get their medications, this truly underlies the significance of raising
taxes in the long-term to properly fund the Ministry of Health medications spending plan so that everyone can have access to the needed
treatment , he stated, commenting on the seriousness of the issue in the middle of Sri Lankas political, economic, financial and medical
