Quarter of Lankans are diabetic

Nadira Gunatilleke

There is a possibility that 50 percent of the total population of Sri Lanka would get affected by diabetes by 2020.

At the moment 25 percent of the total population of Sri Lanka (one in every four Sri Lankans) suffer from diabetes. Between five and 10 percent of Sri Lankan schoolchildren suffer from type II diabetes at the moment, a Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry spokesman said.

According to the spokesman, around 15 percent of schoolchildren are in the pre-diabetes stage at the moment. At present the Government spends the highest amounts of funds to treat Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs).

The annual expenditure on the treatment for heart aliments is Rs. 4.5 billion and the annual expenditure on cancer treatment is Rs. four billion. The Government annually spends Rs. 3.5 billion to treat Kidney patients.

Non Communicable Diseases in Sri Lanka are on the rise at an alarming rate and it will become the main health hazard for Sri Lankans within the next 10 years. Diabetes heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, eye problems are among the most common NCDs that affect Sri Lankan population.

Lack of exercise, bad and non traditional food habits, stress and many other factors contribute to the increase of NCDs in Sri Lanka, he said.