The Ministry of Health has noted increase in the number of infants diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.

Colonial War Memorial Hospital Consultant General Surgeon Dr Ilaitia Delasau says these babies will suffer long term effects and will have to live on insulin jabs all their life.

“Type 1 Diabetes are found or diagnosed in new borns that shows signs and symptoms of diabetes so development delay, slow growth. They have symptoms that suggestive they’ve got diabetes so they don’t have insulin so the pancrease, the organ that produce insulin is not working.”

He says while Type 1 Diabetes can’t be reversed, managing lifestyles can help Fijians stay healthy.

“I want to change that mentality I want us to have small food portions but more exercise, because that is the key factor why there are so many diabetics in Fiji, because we eat too much. Our diet is changing, there is a lot of processed foods, fewer greens, fewer vegetables, and there is more fast food, so we need to exercise more.”

Health Minister Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete says there is a high chance the percentage of people living with Diabetes in Fiji will increase.

“Every 10 years it goes up to 2 to 3 – 4 percent, we could possibility estimate that we could be sitting at about 18 – 19 percent but again as I said we should be able to do the survey and do the data that would be able to show that.”

Dr. Waqainabete says last September to November 66 Fijians were amputated at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital due to diabetes.