BAGUIO CITY – A local diabetes expert revealed that the over 200 new patients seeking medical attention at the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) for diabetes treatment is considered to be alarming, saying that the public must be extra careful in taking in fatty, sweet and salty foods that could contribute in worsening their health condition.
Dr. Francis M. Pizarro, medical specialist III of BGMC’s Department of Medicine, said that in 1992 the hospital’s diabetes treatment center only had 90 patients but the number started to significantly increase since 1998.
“International diabetes experts predicted that number of diabetes patients worldwide could double in the next thirty years if people do not practice healthy lifestyle and good nutrition, thus, the need for people to reform their eating habits,” Pizarro stressed.
He confirmed that the BGHMC diabetes treatment center started to record more than 200 new patients in 1998 and the highest number of patients that sought assistance from the center was in 2000 where there were 284 individuals who were found to have either type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
According to him, diabetes could be either be hereditary or acquired, thus, people must learn to avoid contracting the disease so as not to suffer the complications of the serious illnesses in the future.
Pizarro claimed type 1 diabetes refers to patients who have lack of insulim while type 2 diabetes patients are those whose insulim are either insufficient or not functioning at all.
He added the BGHMC diabetes treatment center offers free check-up for indigent patients seeking medical attention and that the center also provides free insulim for them in order to be treated with the dreaded illness.
Among the symptoms of diabetes include loss of weight, frequent urinating and thirstiness, thus, people encountering such symptoms must immediately seek medical attention for them to be able to prevent being affected with the said illness.
Pizarro said the reason why World Diabetes Day is being celebrated in the global village is to ensure that people will be fully aware of the serious negative effects of the illness to their lives.
The diabetes expert predicted the expected increase in the number of patients seeking diabetes treatment because of the current lifestyle of people and the prevalence of food items that are fatty, salty and sweet.
The BGHMC serves as one of the medical facilities in Northern Luzon that provide treatment to diabetes patients from different provinces within the environs of Baguio, Cordillera, Regions I and II.
