This is Operation Diabetes at work. The program aims to ferret out the diabetics and at-risk persons in communities by helping health centers organize their diabetic clubs. "These clubs will be the agents to bring in diabetes awareness and lifestyle changes to the community," says Lito Abelarde, whose Herbcare Corporation, maker of the ampalaya food supplement Charantia, launched the program two years ago with the Association of Municipal Health Officers of the Philippines (Amhop). Amhop doctors are running the country’s network of health centers.
Diabetics learn more about the disease and that peer encouragement can help them stick to a healthy lifestyle. "They are motivated to exercise regularly," says Dr. Arvin Marbibi. The city health physician, who acts as the adviser of Pilar Village Diabetic Club in Las Piñas City, says that people are bored when they exercise alone. To counter this, his club members meet weekly for a round of tai chi, Chinese meditation and exercise.
Latest figures show that there are about 189 million diabetics in the world today. Most suffer from type-2 diabetes or have trouble controlling their blood sugar level. Too much sugar in the blood greatly increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. It can also damage the small blood vessels, leading to nerve, kidney and limb complications. Experts warn that if the trend continues in the next 25 years, twice as many more are likely to acquire this type of diabetes. There are six to seven million diabetic Filipinos or at risk of the disease, with as many who still do not know they have diabetes.
Diabetic clubs help fortify the community’s first line of defense against the disease and its complications. That means teaching them first all about diabetes. With the help of Herbcare and Amhop, information on diabetes risks, symptoms, complications and the persons predisposed to it is made accessible to these clubs through lay symposia, audio visual productions, and print materials.
Joining a club means other benefits. "Every month we’ll have blood sugar monitoring," Dr. Ruth Punzalan tells residents at the launch of Tanza Diabetic Club. "Our group will also teach us how to straighten out our diet."
Some clubs enjoy more than blood sugar screening. "We have free ECG," says Tessa Jose, president of Pilar Village Diabetic Club. Her members also enjoy regular kidney checkups and annual retinopathy monitoring. Beyond the freebies, the club also brings diabetes awareness to the neighborhood. "I learned why I should lessen my red meat and prefer vegetables," tricycle driver Jun Belista points out. "But it’s the other diabetics who really opened my mind. One told me his incentive to stay healthy has always been to see his children grow up. I have a 10-year-old and an eight-year-old. I did not realize what unhealthy foods can rob me of."
In Tingloy Island in Batangas, 10 percent of the 19,000 locals have diabetes. Having seen the dangers ahead, Dr. Lally Masangkay, the town’s municipal health officer, took off from a previous effort by another doctor who conducted a blood sugar screening to help the local diabetics organize themselves into a club. With only 50 members to start with, the club has ballooned into 120-plus members.
Tingloy Diabetic Club is actually a chapter of the Samahan ng mga Batangueñong Diabetiko (Sambadi), an umbrella club composed of diabetics and at-risk persons in all of Batangas. However, the Tingloy Chapter has the trappings unique to the island. Imagine a motorcade where instead of vehicles, bancas roam around the island to increase diabetes awareness and promote the merits of joining this club.
Club president Elias Pase, former vice mayor of this fifth-class town, reminds local diabetics not to tire of going to this place or participating in the club where they can reap their sweet rewards.