Jale Daucakacaka 
Diabetes Fiji Chair, Mohammed Taabish Akbar.
Statistics regarding the number of diabetes cases in Fiji are often outdated by the time it is published.
This was revealed today by Diabetes Fiji Chair, Mohammed Taabish Akbar.
He says the latest figures show that 17.7 per cent of adults in Fiji have diabetes but the actual numbers could be higher.
“With the statistics is that a lot of people get left out. Officially there is 17.7 percent of adults are diabetic, the real figure is closer to one in three, which is 33 percent, which is almost double what we have because screening is not available throughout.”
According to Akbar, another challenge that medical authorities face is late presentation of cases.
He says given there are no symptoms associated with diabetes, many people do not know they are diabetic until the later stages, often resulting in amputations.
Akbar says authorities need to come up with a concerted effort to educate the public on the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle to reduce diabetic cases in Fiji.
Earlier this year, orthopaedic surgeon Dr Eddie McCaig revealed that 15.8 percent of Fiji’s population has diabetes.
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