Monday 13 September 2010

Sick long suka


If you managed to follow the first master-class in medical Bislama, this second instalment should be a breeze.
Diabetes is a big problem in Melanesian (and Polynesian) communities throughout the pacific; the popular conception in the west tends to be that it is due to the McDonaldisation of these communities. Though this is partly true, Port Vila has no McDonalds, Burger King or Kentucky Fried Chicken (Horraaaaaah!!) but type II diabetes and obesity is a relatively common problem. The introduction of white rice (relatively high glycaemic index) as a substitute for yams and tarrow (very low GI) seems to be associated with the rise in diabetes as well as an overwhelming genetic susceptibility.
Mountains of cash have been poured into Vanuatu to try and managed the impending diabetes epidemic, but how well this money has been spent is anybody’s guess. Rumours around the hospital (rumours not fact) suggest that at least half a million dollars of funding from Australia and New Zealand disappeared along with a local private doctor and his nurse, neither they or the money has been seen again.. No clinics were set up, no long-term management strategy, no public information campaign. Just one big hole the same shape as a pile of cash!

On the whole the diabetes patients are well cared for, thought the range of pharmacological interventions is very limited compared to the UK. We tend to see quite a few diabetics on the ward and in the clinics, thought there is a dedicated nurse led diabetic clinic that runs all day on Tuesday and Thursday. Her objective tends to be managing the complications of the disease and preventing medical problems turning into surgical ones. (a New Zealand baby-doc working in anaesthetics has commented on the particularly low threshold for amputation by the local orthopaedic surgeon!!)

The picture above is a section of a diabetes information leaflet, at first glance I looks like a foreign language, but try reading it out loud and phonetically, suddenly you will hear the words form, and I’m pretty sure you will be able to interpret each piece of advice within a couple of minutes.
Quick reminder;
from/for Blong
at long
food Kakae
very tumas (as in too-much)

good luck, your test starts now, you have ten miunites………..

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