Unhealthy Lifestyles Heat Up Medical Bills
By Azlan Othman

Bandar Seri Begawan - The spiraling cost of medical treatment in treating chronic diseases and the need to follow the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad in adhering to a healthy lifestyle were touched yesterday in a Friday sermon.

Imams said, we must be aware that the cost of medical treatment that people receive freely, to treat chronic diseases were too costly.

Every month, the government spends $4.5 million dollars on medicine that is equivalent to $54 million annually.

The top 10 medicine bought by the government were used to treat chronic diseases. In 2007, the Ministry of Health spent $23 million dollars on medicine to treat cardiovascular and heart diseases, $6 million on cancer medicine, $3.7 million for diabetes treatment.

Every cardiovascular patient is supplied with seven types of medicine for their monthly stocks which costs $307.50 cents while for diabetes, it costs between $42 to $276 monthly for each patient and $8,000 to $10,000 annually for each cancer patient.

The treatment for such chronic diseases is life-long and involves a high cost and puts an economic burden on the government.

Though such medical costs are high, it does not mean that the government is hesitant or cares less about the people's health.

Various diseases due to the modern lifestyle and unhealthy diet, cigarette smoking, low physical activities lead to the rise in chronic diseases.

The trend in Brunei is that chronic diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke and high blood pressure lead to five leading causes of deaths rather communicable diseases.

Hence, we should look after our food habits and practise a healthy lifestyle. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has given us a guideline with regards to our diet, like eating in moderation - eat only if hungry and stop before one is full.

The prophet also called upon the Ummah not to fully fill-up the stomach with food, but eat only adequate amount to empower body strength. One-third should be filled with drinks, another one-third for food and the balance one-third for the air we breathe. Nutritionists also urged people to reduce salty, sweet food and drink intakes.

One must eat in accordance with one's activity while excessive food will lead to health issues. Besides looking after one's nutrition, carrying-out physical exercise is crucial for one's health in order to control one's weight, improve one's good cholesterol or HDL level and improve oxygen intake.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) encouraged the Ummah to take part in sports. The prophet and his companions liked to indulge in sports, as stated in the Hadith, where the prophet did horse racing.

Imams said, "As individuals, we must strive to reduce such costs by improving and looking after our health and save the government from unnecessary expenses, thus improving one's health for the sake of the nation.

"We need to practise a healthy lifestyle and control food intake for us to perform religious obligation properly and live harmoniously," they added. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

Related Story: Lead A Healthy Lifestyle To Lessen Economic Burden: Sermon

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