New Zealand looking for new ways to fight diabetes

New Zealand began a journey to find new ways to combat diabetes, a disease that is increasing infection rates to the extent that the World Health Organization and described it as "a disaster slow motion," after a report showed that the national program which provides medical tests annually free of charge for patients with diabetes has proven ineffective Approx.


After reviewing the program, which ran for 11 years, said the clinic's director of national diabetes Ministry of Health, Dr Brandon Orr - Walker, the patients undergoing the tests free are not the best case of patients not covered by the program, despite spending $ 46 million New Zealand (38 million dollars dollars) of public funds on this program.


Diabetes occurs when the proportion of sugar in the blood to extremely high levels, with the pancreas can not produce enough insulin to control it. Diabetes is a chronic disease, if not cured, it can cause kidney failure, eye disease and foot ulcers as well as increased risk of heart disease.


Suffers more than 200 thousand people in New Zealand from diabetes, while the Ministry of Health says New Zealand that the incidence of the disease has reached epidemic levels, and increases by 5% per year, under the suspicion of injuring a hundred thousand others with the disease without diagnosed with the disease.


Most of these patients with type II diabetes, which is usually treated with medicines and follow certain diets, while the minority suffers from the most dangerous type, a first type, which requires constant insulin injections.


A total of 12 specialist doctors and researchers in public health nutritionists leaders signed an open letter to the journal "New Zealand Medical Journal," New Zealand Medical last month warned it of not doing enough to combat diabetes, which increase infection rates rapidly, and said that the main reason behind the infection lies in the significant increase in the prevalence of obesity among children and adults.


Says a researcher in the field of public health professor colleague Luisa Signal from the University of Otago in Wellington: "The obesity is a cause for more than 80 percent of cases of diabetes that can be avoided in New Zealand is not being dealt with seriously - it in fact was stopped many of the programs prevention. "


She added: "We have high rates of diabetes is alarming, and growing constantly ... and health professionals warned years ago of this health crisis, which began looming on the horizon." Says New Zealand Health Minister Tony Real "program has been testing the free criticism from patients and doctors alike, as the following routine, rather than providing support to those suffering from diabetes. That is why the government had asked the review (the program)."


The Orr - Walker, that the program did not yield a diagnosis of the disease in more people, and would not only continue to devote a great deal of health expenditures for the care of patients with diabetes. Real says that health officials plan to conduct extensive consultations both locally and internationally to develop new ways to support people with diabetes.


He added that his government, which belongs to the right of the center, will focus on making decisions on adopting a new policy by March or April next, in the case was re-elected to another term in the general election on 26 November.


The specialists say the twelve, who are demanding to take further action, that new ways should include a national strategy for nutrition and physical activity as recommended by the World Health Organization, re-impose law on shops selling food school they need to sell health food products only, that legal action was canceled the government after taking office three years ago. He also called on specialists to ban the sale of junk food to children and the tightening of the rules and regulations governing food and beverage industry, to encourage eating healthy foods.