Some years ago, I was admitted to hospital because my right leg was swollen and painful. I was made comfortable and Dr Deacon came to assess my condition. Before he left, the doctor took a black marker pen and made a line across my thigh just above where it had turned red, writes Michael Tavioni.

As the days passed, I felt less pain and was feeling much better. My Solomon Islands nurse was kind and caring, and came to check on me often. He made sure my leg was always propped up on the pillow. My problem was that after many hours my leg would become fatigued and I had to put it down on the mattress, resulting in the nurse growling me for putting my leg down.

I tried my best to make him happy but at that particular time I had no idea how serious my problem really was.

Later I realised that the black line on my thigh was to gauge the progress of the infection and more especially when and where to cut my leg off if it had gotten worse.

I am now concerned that the many people in our country with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) – more than half the population aged 15 and over according to TMO – have the same attitude I had, like saying, ‘She’ll be right’ and not taking it seriously.

(For the record, I have lost more than 30 kilos since my hospital stay and am trying to lose another 30.)

I ask our people, ‘What is life?’ Did you plan to be born and to have a life? Did anybody or anything owe you something and so you are entitled to life? Is there a selection process? Or is life a gift? If it is a gift, then what are you supposed to do with it?

One of my brothers died at childbirth but I was allowed to have some life – it could have been the other way round. So I am grateful for the life I am lucky to have.

The issue is, how do I live this life which I am blessed to have? How can I use it for my own fulfilment and to enhance the lives of those around me and the environment in which I am placed?

After the line on my thigh, I realised that anybody can choose to have an unhealthy, unhappy and painful short life – or a long, healthy and happy life.

NCDs are largely a result of what you choose to eat and drink and how much. Choosing to get some exercise or just sitting on one’s bum all day is also a factor.

As mentioned in the National Health Information Bulletin, NCDs are caused by consuming too much processed food, sugar, salt, alcohol and smoking.

So it can really be said that NCDs are self-inflicted.

In 2022, deaths in the Cook Islands caused by NCDs peaked at 82 per cent of all deaths.

And NCDs are not confined to any age group, they are common amongst almost all ages.

As well as a health issue, this is an economic burden for our country, with the government paying for direct healthcare and welfare payments. Added to this cost is the lost value of productivity.

If we the people of this country do not really analyse this situation, our government will be forced to find much more money every year to cover the increasing costs created by our choices of what to eat and drink.

We know that NCDs are also called ‘lifestyle diseases’. Many parents love their children to DEATH by allowing them to have any food and beverage they wish to eat and drink. It is sad, especially when we and our children are well-educated and should know what kind of food is best for our bodies and what is bad for us.

Another question: ‘Why is it that with all the knowledge we have on healthy eating and healthy living, we still buy and consume those things which are not to the benefit of our health?’

The answer is that our generation, our children’s and our grandchildren’s generations are educated to be CONSUMERS of processed food products and not PRODUCERS of real organic food.

In 2023 we imported more than $78 million worth of food, beverages and tobacco into the country. Many similar products can be grown or produced here but there is no real interest in doing that because the tourist industry overshadows that scenario.

Our GDP grows year by year and it gives the illusion that our indigenous people are benefitting and so must be happy.

On the other side of the coin, Mangaia, Mauke and Atiu have all lost at least 80 per cent of their populations due to emigration and it is the same scenario in the Northern Group.

One leaves their homeland only because life is tough. They migrate with the hope that there will be greener pastures in somebody else’s paradise. Almost every week they fly back in coffins.

This country owns roughly two million square kilometres of ocean and about 100 square miles of land – more than enough to produce all the fish, fruit, vegetables and much of the meat that this country needs. But government interest is lacking and if there are any plans at all they are only piecemeal.

The government has an agency known as the Tourism Corporation. What is that agency’s annual budget as compared to that of the Agriculture Department? If there is a huge difference between the two agencies, that may be viewed as the government’s lack of foresight in regard to self-sufficiency and the nation’s need to achieve food security.

Some years ago our government wiped out the levies or taxes imposed on imported food products which can be partly or fully produced locally. Within a few months all the local egg and poultry farmers went bankrupt except for one. We have since experienced egg shortages a number of times.

Our overall economic development should acknowledge all issues. It must account for the issue of NCDs and incorporate an all-encompassing development programme which must include a desire for the nation to strive to achieve food security, alongside an education system that teaches our children to be PRODUCERS of food and not only CONSUMERS of imported, processed, NCD-causing foodstuffs.

• Mitaera Ngatae Teatuakaro Michael Tavioni BEM is a Cook Islands artist and writer. The views expressed in this article are his and do not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper.