Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a major topic discussed at the Gold Coast Medical Association and the Fiji College of General Practitioners’ workshop.

General practitioners from Fiji and the Gold Coast held the workshop last Friday. This is the first time the two have combined for a meeting, which took place at the Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa on Denarau.

Workshop organiser Dr Devika Kumar said the workshop is about how the general practitioners can take care of the NCDs which are on the rise in Fiji and the rest of the world.

“It is one of the major causes of deaths, and mortality so the conference hosts speakers from both Fiji and the Gold Coast.”

She said by the end of the three-day meet, they hoped to obtain some new ideas and suggestions to make toward the Health Ministry on how best to encounter NCDs.

“The general practitioners are on the front line. They are the people who see these patients first so the Ministry of Health should work in collaboration with the general practitioners, help them and be part of their preventative programmes, screening programmes.

“Most of the general practitioners are the ones who will encounter such patients with NCDs first before they present with any complications to our hospitals and get admitted.”

In relation to the speech by the Minister for Health and Public Services Jone Usamate made during the opening of the workshop, he said NCDs are contributed by the change in lifestyles.

Dr Kumar said: “If we change our eating habits and dietary habits, we need to get into exercise then we can prevent a lot of these things.

“If we start early at home then that means at home what we feed our children matters. We should give them good healthy foods instead of fast foods. We should exercise, try and avoid alcohol and smoking so that we can avoid most non-communicable diseases.”

Dr Devika said instead of waiting to get the disease and then get it treated with medicines, people should use the preventative measures.

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