The number of persons with disabilities are expected to rise with the high number of amputations from Non Communicable Diseases’s.
Council’s Executive Director, Dr. Sitiveni Yanuyanutawa says another contributing factor is people involved in road accidents.
He adds last year’s census recorded 113,595 of persons with disabilities which is 13.7 percent of Fiji’s population.
“It will continue to rise because of the rise in NCD’s, the number of amputations that is going on for the complication in diabetes and also the motor vehicle accidents. People who have suffered from motor-vehicle accidents, we all know that if you’re reading the paper or any form of media, it will tell you that when they survive from that accident then they will end up with one assisting device. Whether it’s a walker, a wheelchair or crutches but that will instantly put them in the disability category.”
Dr. Yanuyanutawa says every Fijian is responsible for their own health and it’s important Fijians make the necessary changes to their lifestyle before it’s too late.
