Diabetes – Neem kennis van die Groot D
Suiker
Vandag is die fokus op Diabetes.
Eerstens omdat dit op 14 November Wêreld Diabetes dag is
Tweedens omdat die verband tussen Diabetes en Covid-sterftes groot is
Derdens omdat die Covid-pandemie groot tekortkominge in diabetes sorg blootgelê het
Vierdens omdat die meeste mense met hartsiektes, diabete is,
Vyfdens omdat baie mense nie besef waarom dit lewensbelangrik is om diabetes goed te beheer nie.
Sesdens omdat SA ‘n tekort aan verpleegkundiges het en veral aan dié wat kundig genoeg is oor diabetes-versorging.
Marí Hudson gesels met ’n internis oor dié kwessies.
Luister Woensdag, 11 Nov , om 11:30 na Gesondheid op RSG.
Gesondheid
Lees meer:
Kommer oor verpleeg kundigheid in SA:
https://medpharm.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16089677.2019.1620009?af=R&
Die brief wat SEMDSA aan die Minister van Gesondheid gerig het:
Dr. Mkhize Minister of Health South Africa
Re: Request to recognize and advance the role of nurses in diabetes care
Dear Minister, Mkhize
14 November, 2020
On occasion of the WHO declared International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) is dedicating World Diabetes Day 2020 to the importance of nurses in the diagnosis, management and prevention of diabetes.
Diabetes is a chronic condition that affects more than 463 million adults worldwide – including an estimated.
Notwithstanding, experts in diabetes and endocrinology are of the opinion that the prevalence of Diabetes in South Africa remains to be underestimated. This notion was highlighted by the large number of people with diabetes &Covid-19 during the recent pandemic.
Insufficient access to diabetes care and treatment often results in life-threatening complications, which, according to IDF estimates, are responsible for 4.2 million adult deaths every year. Despite diabetes being a global health threat that incurs high levels of expenditure each year (USD 760 billion in 2019), millions of people with diabetes cannot afford the care and medicines they need. Many are pushed into poverty to cover the healthcare costs for family members.
Nurses play a key role in identifying and diagnosing diabetes early, tackling the risk factors for type 2 diabetes and providing self-management training and psychological support to help prevent diabetes-related complications. According to the World Health Organization, 9 million more nurses are needed globally if we want to achieve Universal Health Coverage by 2030. If this gap is not urgently addressed, many of the 578 million people who will be living with diabetes by then will not have access to the care they will need.
The prevalence of diabetes is rapidly increasing in South Africa. In 2009, approximately 2 million (9%) people aged 30 years and older had diabetes, increasing almost twofold since 2000. Several factors such as the ageing population, economic
transition and urbanisation associated with nutrition transition and obesity contribute to the increase. Eight out of ten cases (87%) of diabetes cases in South Africa were attributed to excess body weight in 2000. This is concerning since the
rates of obesity increased as highlighted by 2013 data indicating that ~38% of men and ~69% of women in South Africa are overweight or obese. In 2015, the global burden of disease study estimated that high body mass index and
hyperglycaemia, ranked as the second and third most prominent risk factors for premature mortality and disability in South Africa.
Ironically, there are very few diabetes nurse educators (DNE’s) in South-Africa. To make matters worse, the few DNE’s are concentrated mostly in the private health sector.
The reasons are multifactorial:
i) The nursing council of South Africa does not recognize the Diabetes Nurse Educator as a subspecialty in the discipline
ii) No dedicated DNE posts are available in the state sector.
iii) Reimbursement for DNE’s is no different than that of nurses without additional qualifications, directing prospective candidates to other specialty training.
iv) There is no diabetes educator training program that empowers nurses to optimally manage patients living with diabetes in the public sector. To address this gap, SEMDSA was busy developing an online program with IDF pre-COVID. The basic online course was to be followed by workshops and practical demonstration sessions that would be industry-funded i.e. at no cost to the trainee. Access to the first module of the course has however proven to be problematic too -most nurses in the public health sector do not have access to the internet and computers for this purpose.
In the run-up to World Diabetes Day on November 14, SEMDSA and IDF are requesting national governments to recognize and advance the role of nurses in diabetes care by:
Ensuring the quality of nursing education (including by providing them with training in diabetes); Investing in the recruitment and the retention of nurses;
Maximizing the contribution of nurses in providing preventative and primary care.
You can find more information on the specific areas where SEMDSA and IDF demand national governments to act in the call to action that accompanies this letter. We specifically request urgent measures to provide optimal diabetes care by addressing the limitations in diabetes empowerment as outline above.
We count on your leadership and that of the government of South-Africa to recognize and advance the role of nurses in diabetes care. IDF and its Members stand ready to work with you and your team to ensure the health of future generations and the sustainable development of our societies.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Ankia Coetzee, Chairperson SEMDSA
Professor Andrew Boulton, IDF President
