Diabetic patients in Bahrain plead for more public toilets

TDT | Manama           

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Zahra Ayaz

Acute diabetes patients in the Kingdom are urging the authorities to set up more public toilets at all major localities as urine retention is invariably a difficult affair to them.   Severe diabetic patients often develop urine and fecal continence, which means they can’t hold back their requirements to visit washrooms with ease, like others. Speaking to The Daily Tribune, Dr Rabaa Alhajeri, a Diabetologist and  Bahrain Diabetes Society board member of said that the “matter should be discussed and given more priority because it affects both those with diabetes and regular people who want to use the restroom.” 

 “Public restrooms are provided at all indoor places, and the cleaning staff is in charge of maintaining the restrooms’ cleanliness, but this is not the case for outdoor. Even though there are public restrooms in outdoor locations including cafes, walk ways, parks, and beaches, they are not kept clean.

“Diabetes patients are not drinking water before leaving the house as a result of the current circumstance because it is challenging to locate public restrooms that are clean. “The ministry should take action over this situation and send a group of people to clean the existing public restrooms and put up more public restrooms at major places,” Dr Rabaa said.

“We will spread awareness and encourage patients to exercise regularly, go for walks, and follow the healthiest diets in order to take good care of their health.” Nargis Ahmed, a Bahrain resident suffering from diabetes, said: “Whenever I go to Manama to buy fresh vegetables, I have to be careful and I don’t drink water for two hours before leaving because I find it difficult to find any public restrooms and sometimes I have to run back to any nearby mall or go home.”

“The restrooms there are not cleaned and a few of the flushes don’t work so there is no hygiene,” she continued, “which makes me feel like avoiding using the public restrooms when I go for a jog in the evening near Tubli walkway.”

The Kingdom of Bahrain is considered one of the countries most affected by diabetes, where the incidence of diabetes is 14.7 percent of the adult population, and predictions indicate a high percentage of people with diabetic disease to about a quarter of the region’s population in the GCC countries by 2030. The Ministry of Health gives importance to the issue of chronic non-communicable diseases, including mellitus, as one of the most important public health issues that have a significant impact on the health of individuals and communities.

The Ministry of Health has paid great attention to prevention of diabetes to reduce its complications through awareness programs, training of medical staff from doctors and nurses, improving treatment methods and providing comprehensive care for diabetes by providing specialized clinics and health centers. The clinic provides preventive medical services, such as vaccinations, retina screening and foot screening. It provides its therapeutic services through a patient-centered treatment plan consisting of medication, counseling and health education.