Omar Badjie was speaking on Saturday at a day’s orientation session designed for members of the National Assembly on the control and prevention of NCDs in The Gambia at Halahin Eco Lodge in Kartong.
The orientation seeks to expose lawmakers to some of the threats and burdens the disease continues to pose to the country’s overall health system.
Presenting the overview of burden of NCDs in The Gambia, Badjie reminded that all households in The Gambia are either directly or indirectly affected by NCDs.
“NCDs, Mental Health and Injuries are the leading cause of death and disability in The Gambia. Risk factors for NCDs are prevalent in the Gambia; 15% of our populations are obese, and 16.7% are regular smokers, and 29% of the population has hypertension. The prevalence of diabetes is estimated at between 7.9% and 8.7%. The prevalence of hyperglycaemia among non-pregnant women is 7.4%.”
He explained further that the country has an estimated prevalence elevated blood glucose of 54.5%, which he said, suggests a large pool of pre-diabetes at risk of developing diabetes.
On the modifiable risk factors of tobacco, Badjie revealed that tobacco accounts for over 8 million deaths every year (including from the effects of exposure to second-hand smoke).
“1.8 million annual deaths have been attributed to excess salt/sodium intake and more than half of the 3 million annual deaths attributable to alcohol use are from NCDs, including cancer. 830, 000 deaths annually can be attributed to insufficient physical activity.” he added.
He disclosed that the burden of NCDs is increasing due to the increase in risk factors, adding that the management and treatment is expensive and places a huge burden on our meagre resources.
“Risk factors for NCDs are prevalent in the Gambia as 15% of our population is obese.”
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