Tean Lim couldn't wait to deride PM Lee for "assuming the mantle of Chief Doctor" to speak about diabetes.
Why is the prime minister talking about diabetes instead of addressing rising unemployment, stagnating wages, cost of living, ultra-low productivity, he wailed.
He thinks the prime minister should only concern himself with the health of the economy and not the health of his people.
Obviously he has not heard that "health is wealth" or that "prevention is better than cure".
In all likelihood, he also does not realise that the economic health of a country is linked to the health of its population.
Health is a direct source of human welfare.
Health is also an instrument in raising income levels.
Poor health affects a worker's productivity.
Poor health affects a child's education.
Diabetes is a silent killer. It does not kill you straightaway. It damages your heart, your eyes, your nerves, your kidneys. It causes coronary heart diseases and strokes. It can cause you to lose your limbs through amputation. Wounds including surgical wounds from an operation either take a longer time to heal or get worse faster.
Diabetes robs you of the quality of your life.
You may not have heard of diabetes as a top killer but many common causes of death like heart diseases, strokes and kidney failures can be traced back to diabetes.
Knowledge is power, so it is well worth to spend time to talk about it, to raise awareness about it, to learn more about it so that we may have our own action plans to keep ourselves healthy.
Good health is, after all, a firm foundation. Build your life, your career and the economy on a firm foundation.
