Materia Medica Malaysiana

Diabetes expedition to allay unfounded fears

Kota Kinabalu: Many Malaysian diabetics live excessively sheltered lives because the complications have been blown out of proportion, said Dr Melinda Tong, chairperson of the Malaysian Medical Association Sabah branch.

Launching a joint diabetic expedition dubbed “Total Jungle Challenge” by Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun, Tuesday, she said one such unfounded fear was the belief that a slight cut can kill.

On the contrary, she believed “diabetics can live an active and full life with precautions and especially motivation to maintain a good glucose level.”

To knock out such excessive fears, UK-based youth charity Raleigh International has joined hands with Diabetes UK and the Malaysian Diabetics Association to mount an unprecedented 16-day expedition to Kampung Terian in the Crocker Range.

It would involve 11 diabetics from the UK, in addition to a doctor, a nurse and a couple of Raleigh staff. But Drew Boswell, Raleigh Country Director for Malaysia, lamented that much as they tried, there were no takers from the Malaysian diabetic side.

Diabetes afflicts a staggering 9 to 15 per cent of the Malaysian population, 95 per cent of which were Type 2, according to consultant physician Dr Heather Yong, who is also Vice Chairman of the Malaysian Diabetic Association.

Although such statistics were mainly findings in Peninsular Malaysia, “I am sure Sabah is not much different. There is nothing to suggest this is a different population,” said Dr Heather Yong.

The major reasons for such rising trend are change towards a sedentary life style where kids sit down a lot more in front of the TV, computer, eating more fast foods and less fruits and vegetables.

UK’s diabetics constitute about 3 to 4 per cent of its total population, 80 per cent of whom are Type 2, according to accompanying nurse, Claire Bushnell. “Even that we consider quite high,” she said.

As such, Dr Tong said she attached great “significance” to the diabetic expedition, which is to draw attention to these unfounded fears and help change the mindset of a rising diabetic population.

Briton Philip Haydon Jones, a diabetic since age 3, rated the expedition as “the first trip of its kind in the world”. The fact that not all expedition members are diabetics is part of the awareness raising strategy to enlarge understanding of the disease, he said.

Expedition doctors will keep a close monitoring of the blood glucose level of each diabetic expedition member to ensure their welfare and also to study how each may differ in their reaction to stress, said Jones.

Their project in Terian, which has a population of about 200 in 20 families, is to help build a micro hydro power generator, after which they will scale Mt. Kinabalu. All the expeditioneers are excited because this is their first trip to Southeast Asia.

Meanwhile, Masidi agreed with Dr Tong that Malaysian diabetics are far too “withdrawn” and appealed to them to come out in numbers to participate in next year’s expedition.

Manjun praised Raleigh International, Pacos and the Malaysian Diabetes Association. “You are doing a lot of good. We are very proud of you. The real gain is to do good to some body who deserves it” and gave philosophical advice “not to leave this world without making a difference to those who deserve help.”

Philip Lasimbang, Member of Parliament for Moyog, said the expedition “means a lot.”

While community development is being looked into, bringing people from outside adds a different dimension to it when they come to help construct a hydro project.

He said his constituency has about 500 people households living below the poverty line and education, creativity and putting in infrastructure are some of the measures to eradicate poverty