•It is estimated that nearly 5 per cent of Kenyans have elevated blood glucose, and only 40 per cent of them are currently on treatment and follow-up.
•Of greater concern is that more than 87 per cent of Kenyans have never had their blood sugar measured
Newton Ngugi was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at just 19 years, he was in campus first year then.
He realised he had a problem when he started having unexplained weight loss, frequent thirst, hunger and frequent urination.
“It became a challenge because I was in denial for around two years and I needed some sort of support to be able to manage the condition,” he said.
Though quite rare, type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin and typically appears in adolescence.
Being diagnosed with diabetes at that early age came with its share of challenges.
He could not afford medicines needed to manage the condition such as glucose strips and insulin.
“Being at the stage where you have to manage the condition using the medication it becomes a challenge because first you are not employed, you don’t have the means to get the medication,” he says.
Despite the fact that he could not accept his condition overnight, he needed psychosocial support but did know how to go about it.
Ngugi says the challenges that the young diabetic patients face are different from what the older population faces.
As a student who is still in school, there are high levels of stigma as there are few students living with the same condition.
He estimates that sometimes you might be the only one in a population of 1,000 students.
Secondly when in campus, you find yourself walking on the thin life of having to overcome peer pressure and social vices that come with it; the desire to live a lifestyle that will be rated as having enjoyed your youth and negotiating it at a phase where you don’t even know yourself.
At only 20, you can’t comfortably afford the medication compared to the older population. The treatment regimen for the two age groups is different.
Having undergone that, he proposes that diabetes patients be given individualised care and attention based on which age gap.
The cost is quite high. He is lucky because he takes his insulin through NHIF. However, strips cost Sh2,000 per month.
“It is a cost that is financial, social, economic and it is a cost that is career-wise because you can’t go for instance to military so all that becomes a hindrance but at least we manage,” he says.
Ngugi has urged the government to invest in educating the youth on healthy lifestyle, avail the medication to ensure that everyone in the society has access, come up with an a comprehensive cover and integrate diabetes care in mental health management.
“I should not go and take insulin with NHIF and go buy glucometres, it doesn’t make sense," he says.
Ngugi has been able to empower other peers living with the condition through a pysco-social support group for young people that bring them together to share the challenges they are facing.
According to director Preventive and Promotive health at the ministry Andrew Mulwa, diabetes is a manageable condition and with the right treatment, persons with diabetes can live long and productive lives free of complications.
However, it is estimated that nearly 5 per cent of Kenyans have elevated blood glucose and only 40 per cent of them are currently on treatment and follow-up.
Of greater concern is that more than 87 per cent of Kenyans have never had their blood sugar measured.
“The main challenge with this scenario is that those not taking medication are predisposed to eye, kidney, heart, and foot and brain complications,” Mulwa says.
“Children, adolescents and young adults living with diabetes bear the greatest brunt of the condition, and thus there is need to give more focus on this population.”
The World Health Organization says for people living with diabetes, access to affordable treatment, including insulin, is critical to their survival.
There is a globally agreed target to halt the rise in diabetes and obesity by 2025.
It is further estimated estimates that about 422 million people worldwide have diabetes, the majority living in low-and middle-income countries, and 1.5 million deaths are directly attributed to diabetes each year.