Policing the Salt

from w
Good to see that the hospitals in Fiji are noticing that diet is very important for patients - and everyone in Fiji - especially the over-use of salt, sugar, fats. Our household now has a salt police (that's me) to try and change our way of thinking about the food we prepare and eat. That means less salt, sugar, fats and we can still have tasty meals with a bit of chillies, garlic, and spices!

From Fiji Sun news today:
Hospitals to cut salt, sugar intake
9/2/2010
A 20 per cent reduction in the purchase and consumption of salt and sugar in the country's State hospitals has been ordered by the Minister for Health, Dr Neil Sharma. He said low salt and sugar initiatives in the Hospital setting have been undertaken.

"I have directed a 20 per cent reduction in the purchase and consumption of both items to address the Non Communicable disaster we are facing in Fiji," he said. "Taste is an acquired process and can be unlearned over some time," he added. He advised dieticians and nutritionists at the country's hospitals to alter flavour. "Flavour can be altered with chillies, herbs and lemon slices which we can cultivate in our own hospital gardens which you are directly in charge of," he told participants at a national workshop.

About 50 nutritionists and dieticians are attending a workshop on nutrition at the Studio 6 motel in Suva.

He praised hospitals that have taken the initiative to plant their own gardens to assist in the provision of food and vegetables to patients. "Some of our health establishments have taken the concept to heart and gardens are thriving with roots, vegetables and fruits," Dr Sharma said. "I am aware of the weather differences and the seasonal nature of growing food but the concept can be successfully developed for even inter-hospital transfer of crop in some areas," he added. He also highlighted the urgent need for dieticians and nutritionists to improve the quality and presentation of meals they serve to patients.
--------
The information coming out about salt is staggering - too much salt is as bad as smoking for your health! This is from the Channel Nine website: http://aca.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=7952167
Salt - it's the deadly food addiction that's claiming the lives of 2000 Australians every year. According to nutritionists the amount of salt we’re eating, on average more than 10 times the recommended daily allowance, is killing more of us than smoking.

So which foods contain the most salt?

Sometimes the worst offenders aren't the most obvious. Breads, cereals, sauces and canned savoury goods, like soups, are surprisingly high in salt.

Some quick salt facts:

• Half a pizza contains four grams of salt - your total daily allowance.

• 100 grams of ham contains four to five grams of salt.

• A bowl of low fat cereal and a couple of slices of toast will add up to half of your recommended daily salt intake.

• A quarter of all the salt we consume is in our bread.

Top tips for cutting back on salt in your diet:

• Don't add any salt to food you're cooking or at the table.

• Choose reduced salt bread and breakfast cereals.

• Cut back on processed foods.

• Cut back on takeaway and fast foods.

• Buy fresh vegetables rather than canned. • Buy "low salt" (contains less than 120mg/100g) or "salt free" versions of commonly ready-made sauces.

• Use herbs and spices, instead of salt, to add flavour to meals.

Medical care in Fiji

from w
The Fiji Times ran an article today about health care in Fiji and the upgrading. The story does not say much about pro-active health and community health awareness which I think is really important. Ninety per cent of health care is up to the individual, to make good lifestyle choices about food, exercise, etc. and only 10 per cent is about accessing the medical clinics and hospitals. Already there is some work done in Fiji in publicity and visiting villages with dental care etc. but this is where free treatment and awareness campaigns are really important. A couple of things I noticed about health care in Fiji is that some people go to the doctor for a small problem which ought to be dealt with by common sense, and at the other extreme some people tough it out and do not go early enough and then there is a tragedy. I'm not sure that very expensive equipment and specialists are the way to go in Fiji in using up the millions of dollars allocated, when there is so much more needed in the prevention side of medical care, such as in that 90 per cent of knowing how to care for yourself and cutting out the fats, sugars, smoking, alcohol and long sessions of kava!

I won't get into the argument about paying for medical care. I was fortunate in Fiji to get good care in the 60s and 70s for the birth of three children. (Ba Methodist Hospital and Labasa hospital). One hospital stay cost only 40 cents for two days in hospital! In Australia these days it costs about $4000 to give birth in a hospital! Thank goodness for the Medicare system though, and even those who pay insurance they still have to pay the 'gap'.

When paying will help
Saturday, November 07, 2009

THE planned upgrading of medical facilities nationwide will be welcome news to all who use the national health service. More than $9million is expected to be used by the Health Ministry on the purchase of equipment and the streamlining of services. The move will coincide with 22 Health Ministry officials graduating with Masters' degrees and rejoining the service in different specialist fields. All this is encouraging for doctors and nurses who have been forced to work with substandard equipment in decrepit facilities for years.

Last week, this newspaper highlighted the shortage of obstetricians in health facilities around the country. Even the ministry's head of obstetrics, Dr James Fong, agrees that there is a desperate need for doctors and nurses in this extremely specialised field. There was a stage when Fiji's midwives and obstetricians were the best in the region. Nurses from across the Pacific attended courses at the local nursing school and returned home to make pregnancy safe for mothers and their babies.

Over the years, however, the conditions in our medical centres, nursing stations and hospitals have deteriorated quite rapidly.

An increasing population has put tremendous pressure on operations in all these facilities. Better roads to remote areas mean it is easier for rural dwellers to have access to treatment.

But the Health Ministry has remained reluctant to charge for the services it provides. Unless a national health insurance scheme it established, it will be impossible for any government to provide quality medical care for the citizens of this country.

Foreign aid allows the purchase of equipment, maintenance of infrastructure and training of doctors and nurses.

In order to sustain optimum levels of service and maintain buildings and equipment it is, unfortunately, necessary to charge patients for the use of facilities and medicine.

We do not expect the health service to make a profit but it must cover costs. The time has come to review charges at health facilities. It's time to place realistic costs on and charge for services provided. Only when this is done will the Health Ministry be able to provide the best possible service to patients.

It is unrealistic of patients and their relatives to demand optimum service from the national health service when they pay nothing for medicine or the bare minimum for in-patient treatment.

The Health Ministry must take a tough stand on the issue if services are to improve. With adequate money, the central government will be able to provide more doctors, nurses and medical centres for everyone. But one thing is certain – it won't happen for free.