Dying too young!

J. Roughan

22 January 2009

Honiara     

 

The AIDS plague in Africa, India, China and other countries, up to recently, killed off, each year, thousands and thousands of the very citizens most needed to lead their countries out of poverty. Fortunately, new medicines and drugs are making a difference. Fewer and fewer AIDS sufferers are condemned to die at young ages. Their productive work, if the life-saving drugs are faithfully taken on a daily basis, is making the difference. AIDS is no longer a death sentence! These sick people remain productive, are once again living normal life patterns, work jobs and raise families.

 

We in the Solomons also have an AIDS problem, not as bad say as South Africa. We remain at the beginning of this major health crisis. The full epidemic has not reached our shores but certainly, much like PNG, we too will have our most productive age group affected by the dreaded sickness AIDS.

 

We do, however, have other sicknesses which are taking away our most productive workers in the prime of their productive lives. Their sicknesses are not easily caught and other people can't spread them among us. We alone, each one of us, bring these fatal sicknesses upon ourselves. They come to us through our life style, the way we live our ordinary lives. Eating poorly, drinking too much, smoking at any level, daily  job stress, poor sleeping habits and lack of proper exercise all contribute to the killing of our men and more and more our women at the high point of their productive lives.

 

Last year, for instance, parliament lost three of its best and brightest: Bart Ulufa'alu, Joses Sanga and the member from North East Malaita. All of them less than 70 years old, certainly far less than the 78 years of age which Solomon Island men are normally expected to live. High intake of salt and sugar over many years, cigarette smoking, in some cases, high levels of alcohol consumption contributed greatly to the high blood pressure readings, heart trouble, diabetes and congestion which finally killed them.

 

Add to this list other silent killers--high stress levels brought on by overwork, poor sleeping habits, social pressures and lack of physical exercise--and the nation has developed the 'perfect storm' for early and unexpected deaths among some of its most talented and gifted leaders. Just last week, for instance, Samson Maeniuta, only 65, was unexpectedly called home by his maker. Last month, another servant of the Lord and the legal fraternity, John Hauirae also left us suddenly. John was less than 50 years of age, far too young for retirement and with much legal drafting waiting for his practiced and skilled hand, also died.  

 

Unfortunately, death rarely sends out service messages announcing its arrival time except to those who listen intently and do pay attention to what the message is saying. In the case of our many early deaths of our top level leaders, service messages have been coming out regularly, clearly and loudly.

 

In the early part of the 20th century such early deaths would have been blamed on poisoning, sorcery or some kind of spirit intervention. These days, however, the medical profession sends out clear messages about these early and easily preventable early deaths both on the personal and community level. Some parts of the message, fortunately, are actually being listened to. Each day, for instance, I carry out a most unscientific survey along Honiara's streets. How many cigarette smokers can I count along the city's road, sitting in cars, buses and trucks or just hanging around city buildings?

 

At the beginning of my survey I was convinced that I would count dozens and dozens of smokers on the streets, in shops or riding buses. However, for the past five months, while performing my unscientific survey, I never spotted more than 8 smokers in any one day of my counting. Which proves very little but does indicate that more and more people, unfortunately not teenagers, that smoking seems to be weakening. If my survey is of any use, then that's an upbeat sign that citizens are becoming aware of the danger of smoking to their long term living. 

 

In the food consumption area, however, I'm much less sure. Yes, more and more Solomon Islanders are drinking and carrying around plastic bottles of water, not coke, orange, etc. That's a good step forward! But Honiara's fast food joints are more than happy with the number of customers waiting in line for their greasy fish and chips, oil soaked meat balls, rice richly topped with grease, etc. This kind of diet, over a long period of time, is exactly what doctors warn against. 

 

2009, unfortunately, we will experience more and more of our Big Men leaving us while still in the prime of their lives. There are no medicines for this condition except following a healthy diet, cutting out smoking and drinking completely, learning to sleep better, walking even running rather than taking the car and reducing stress levels. Each of these 'medicines' are available to all of us and the earlier we take them, the more sure that a longer life could be ours.