Ministers Address
- Donor Matrix Meeting
- Primary Care Stress Management Clinic
- National Health Research Consultation on Improving Health Research Management Governance and Data Sharing
- International Womens Day
- Children’s Heart Foundation
- Gandhi Day Celebration
- Health Promoting Workplace
- Pacific Eye Institute/CWM Hospital Eye Centre
- New Diabetes Eye Care Clinic at Sukuna Ward
- World Food Day Celebrations
- Visitation for Mahaffy Girls Home
- Emergency Care Assistant Course
- Fiji Food Summit 2009
- National Health Workshop
- National Breastfeeding and Immunisation Wk
- National Health Accounts
- Fiji White Ribbon Safe Motherhood Initiative
- Post Grad Dip in Midwifery Inaugural
- National NCD Training of Trainers
- 160 Bicycles from Japan to Fiji
New Diabetes Eye Care Clinic at Sukuna Ward
- 06/10/2009
International Programs Director, Fred Hollows Foundation NZ, Dr Tom Schaefer,
Permanent Secretary for Health, Dr Salanieta Saketa,
Dean Fiji School of Medicine, Professor Ian Rouse,
Invited Guests,
Ladies & Gentlemen.
Once Again Good afternoon to you all.
In the world today, it is estimated that 45 million people are blind and an additional 135million have visually impairment.
90% of the world’s blind live in developing countries.
80% of blindness and visual impairment is either preventable or treatable. Numbers will double in the next 20 years unless urgent action is taken to address the issue.
80% of all blindness is either preventable or treatable.
Hospital based and clinical evidence indicates that 80% of blindness is due to 3 conditions -
- Cataract (56%)
- Uncorrected refractive error (12%)
- Diabetic Retinopathy (12%)
Of great concern are the rapidly rising prevalence of diabetes and the high incidence of vision threatening diabetic retinopathy. Diabetes prevalence in 25-64 years stands at 16%
In the West, 25% of normal people aged 30 years and over were found to have abnormal sugars reading at screening. Risk behaviour like smoking, physical inactivity, alcohol abuse and consumption of high calorie foods adds fuel to the fire.
This Diabetes Clinic is a practical option of addressing the burden of Diabetes in terms of clinical eye care.
The Ministry of Health is also embarking on the establishment of a primary care Kidney and Diabetes HUB in both Lautoka and Labasa. Eye care will also be incorporated in this HUB.
The Fiji Government is indeed very grateful to the Fred Hollows Foundation through the Pacific Eye Institute for the development of this clinic and the provision of expensive eye care equipment.
In this time of global economic hardships Fiji is indebted to the Fred Hollow Foundation(NZ) for the support it’s providing to enable our people to be provided with state-of-the-art eye care services and giving our people hope for the wellbeing of their eyes.
The onus is both on the providers and the users of this facility to cooperate in ensuring the provision and use of eye service is of high quality.
Thank you for your attention.
I now officially declare this Diabetes Eye Clinic open.
Neil Sharma.
Minister of Health
06/10/2009