The Dean School of the School of Graduate Studies of the University of Cape Coast, UCC, Prof. Sarah Darkwa, has underlined the need for members of the public to play a crucial role to complement the untiring efforts of government to eradicate the scourge of diabetes in the country.
Against that backdrop, Prof. Darkwa called for intensive public education, family support, and quality healthcare services for persons living with diabetes.
She cleared up the public long-held misconception that diabetes was a death sentence and used the occasion to disabuse the minds of the general public about the condition, whilst encouraging them to show unalloyed love and compassion for persons living with the disease.
Presenting a paper on Blood Sugar - A Social and Scientific Discourse on its Impact on our Health at the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences Lecture in Accra, Prof. Darkwa indicated that 2.4 million Ghanaians were living with diabetes and 7.5% of adults had Type-2 diabetes, quoting copiously from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Prof. Darkwa, who was inducted into the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences on November 14,2022, kicked against stigmatization against persons living with the condition.
“There is a need for a social discourse to expunge all stigmas against people with diabetes”, She added.
Dr. Patience Monnie, Head of the Department of VoTEC-UCC, presenting bouquet to Prof. Darkwa.
Prof. Darkwa maintained that both natural and artificial sugars were the same and urged the public to take precautionary measures.
“Both natural and artificial sugars are practically the same so the safety precaution is to take them in moderation”, she added.
Prof. Darkwa pointed out that race, age and genetics had a role to play in the acquisition of diabetes.
“Indeed, Ghanaians are part of the black race, they have a higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes,” she explained.
Prof. Darkwa with some faculty members and postgraduate students of UCC
Prof. Darkwa, however, implored individuals to regularly check their sugar levels and maintain healthy lifestyles.
The Chairperson of GAAS, Emerita Prof. Isabella Akyinbah Quakyi, expressed delight about the thought-provoking lecture, saying: “I’ve learnt that it is up to us to reduce negative impacts of diabetes and type-2 diabetes is curable”.
Prof. Emerita Quakyi, who chaired the inaugural lecture, encouraged the public to check their diet to reduce their Glycemic index and Glycemic load.
Some family members, along with students and staff of the School of Graduate Studies and the Department of Vocational and Technical Education (VOTEC), made presentations to Prof. Darkwa on her inaugural lecture since her induction into the GAAS.
Source: Documentation and Information Section