Here is some food for thought. It seems we are living to eat instead of eating to live. Ah! Glorious food, the more we have, the more we want.

We are not even looking at what we are consuming as long as it is edible. We are not worried about where this gluttonous act is taking us. In most cases an early arrival to our graves, but we are not worried.

Why is that? Because once we get sick, we seem to think that it is the responsibility of the Government tpo foot our medical bills overseas and if these lifestyle diseases lead us to chronic kidney disease, we will just bring in more dialysis machines and spend millions of tala more for overseas treatment.

Wrong.

Forty people who were on dialysis treatment in Samoa last year have lost their lives, only for 64 new patients to be added to the list needing the treatment

The sobering statistics were revealed by the C.E.O. of the National Kidney Foundation of Samoa (N.K.F.S.), Mulipola Lose Roger Hazelman in an interview with the Samoa Observer on Tuesday.

He said there are currently 202 people in Samoa who were listed on their records as needing dialysis treatment and last year 64 new patients were added to their list for treatment.

These are not figures to be proud of. What these figures interpret as is how much laxity many Samoans are giving to their health.

It is always other factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity that leads to chronic kidney disease.

The emphasis should be the need for a health system change that recognises primary healthcare services as a specialty, which would be separate from public health. Primary health case services would come with appropriately trained primary care health workers and resources, to be widely available within Samoan communities, particularly in the rural areas.

Currently Samoa invests in specialty medical training and a lot more is spent on getting equipment and sending Samoans for overseas treatments but excludes primary care which is a service that is delivered in the community.

This needs to change with more health workers being trained in primary care as a career pathway to align with progress in other countries with similar health problems.

This will shift the emphasis away from costly curative treatments at the hospital to affordable preventative medicine in the community lowering the morbidity and mortality from these conditions.

Chronic kidney disease should be recognised as an important non-communicable disease in the context of Samoa and be integrated into the national non-communicable disease health policies and embedded in any national screening program that is developed.

The other thing many Samoans are failing to see is that we are moving away from traditional foods to imported and processed foods. We have failed to recognise what is good for the body and what is not.

There are people as young as in their mid-20s who are obese and already have started having high blood pressure and some become diabetic at an early age.

According to Samoa’s second Voluntary National Review report published in 2021, Samoa has one of the highest death rates of 81 per cent and illnesses rates from N.C.D.s (cardiovascular – 34 per cent, cancers 15 per cent, chronic respiratory diseases – 5 per cent, diabetes – 9 per cent, other N.C.D. 18 per cent) in the world.

According to the report an estimated 89.1 per cent of Samoans are overweight and 63.1 per cent are obese.

It also added that between 2003 and 2013, there was an increased prevalence of Diabetes (3.3 per cent), hypertension (7.7 per cent), overweight (3.5 per cent) and 7.1 per cent increase in obesity. N.C.D.s are responsible for seven of the 10 premature deaths in Samoa.

It seems that these numbers are not sending a shock through the system of our people. Perhaps we have accepted the fact that we would rather become a burden on taxpayers, the health system and on our families rather ensuring that we have a healthy lifestyle.

This is a national problem for us. A huge amount of the taxpayers' money is wasted on diseases that we should not be having in the first place and another huge chunk is spent on sending people abroad.

Since 81 per cent of illnesses and deaths are from N.C.D.'s, a large chunk of hospital resources are spent on caring for people.

Look at the National Kidney Foundation. There are more and more people coming every year for dialysis and the Government is bringing in 30 more dialysis machines to deal with this pandemic.

Minister of Finance Mulipola Anarosa Ale Molioo was on point when she said in parliament that the answer to much of Samoa's health woe is just a healthy diet and exercise which would prevent N.C.D.'s and the health system will be less burdened.

As this is a national problem, it calls for a national approach which should trickle down to the community. Families at their dinner tables should be discussing this. Village councils and church committees can come up with ways to encourage more of our people to exercise.

Sometimes the community programs only last for a week or two as the seriousness of this is not being comprehended.

There is also this mindset that once you cross the 35 or 40 years mark, you should not stress yourself with exercise.

Exercising needs to be a family affair. The Ministry of Education can become a key player in helping the nation become healthier by introducing a curriculum that deals with healthy living and ensuring that during physical education classes every child is on the field playing.

We have to act now because this is something which can be beaten and we need to do it together.