[File Photo]

For many Fijian families, diabetes is no longer a distant health warning, it is a daily reality.

As the country marks World Diabetes Day 2025, Diabetes Fiji Executive Director Kini Marawa says the organisation is taking its biggest outreach campaign yet directly to villages, settlements, workplaces and schools across all three divisions.

The campaign, which runs until 30th December, focuses on screening, awareness, and early detection, because too many people are losing their lives without even knowing they had diabetes.

Marawa says the global situation is alarming, with 589 million adults now living with diabetes and 252 million undiagnosed.

He says Fiji’s reality is even more confronting, with 16.6% of adults having diabetes, and 80% of deaths in Fiji are caused by NCDs.

He adds that these figures show diabetes is not just a medical issue, it affects families, the workforce, and our national progress.

“The economic cost is massive; globally, health expenditure on diabetes in 2024 is estimated to be over 1 trillion USD. The theme of World Diabetes Day from the year 2024 to 2026 is diabetes and wellbeing, with a particular to emphasis on the workplace for 2025.”

Marawa says this campaign cannot be passive, and every person has to take action.

Provincial Administrator Tailevu Ilisoni Lagi Vusoniceva reminded communities that diabetes is closely linked to daily lifestyle choices — what we eat, how active we are, and how often we get checked.

He says even rural communities, once thought to be at lower risk, are now catching up to urban areas as diets change and processed foods become more common.

“The good news is diabetes can be prevented, delayed, and managed. Small changes make a big difference — cutting sugar, drinking more water, moving more, and getting screened.”

The Ministry of Health is strengthening its outreach with community screenings, motivational counselling, and the Package of Essential NCD services (PEN).

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