What is a chronic condition?
There are hundreds of chronic conditions but some of the most common are:
I have “sugar sickness”- what does that mean?
The most common chronic conditions in South Africa are diabetes, high blood pressure, HIV/AIDS and TB. Diabetes and high blood pressure are often found together. People have their own names for chronic diseases, like ‘sugar sickness’ for diabetes, ‘slim disease’ for HIV/AIDS, and ‘high bloods’ for high blood pressure. You may have heard other names too.
If you have a chronic condition, you need to be aware of adherence
What’s that?
Adherence (ad-heer–uhns) : taking your chronic medication as prescribed by a doctor (called adherence) to keep your test results within the normal range for a year.
I don’t want to talk about it
For many people having a chronic condition can make them feel like they have lost a part of themselves, or that they are different. It is normal to feel that you will not have the life you dreamed of. This is not true! With the
- Right medication,
- A healthy lifestyle,
- Care and support
you can live a long life, even if you have a chronic condition.
To help the millions of people who have these conditions to manage their health better, the government has introduced an innovative free-service called CCMDD (Central Chronic Medicines, Dispensing and Distribution) that allows you to collect your government-issued medication from convenient pick up points like Dis-Chem, Clicks, Pick n Pay and even spaza shops and churches.
How has COVID-19 complicated things? Click here.
I have “sugar sickness”- what does that mean?
The most common chronic conditions in South Africa are diabetes, high blood pressure, HIV/AIDS and TB. Diabetes and high blood pressure are often found together. People have their own names for chronic diseases, like ‘sugar sickness’ for diabetes, ‘slim disease’ for HIV/AIDS, and ‘high bloods’ for high blood pressure. You may have heard other names too.
If you have a chronic condition, you need to be aware of adherence
What’s that?
Adherence (ad-heer–uhns) : taking your chronic medication as prescribed by a doctor (called adherence) to keep your test results within the normal range for a year.
I don’t want to talk about it
For many people having a chronic condition can make them feel like they have lost a part of themselves, or that they are different. It is normal to feel that you will not have the life you dreamed of. This is not true! With the
- Right medication,
- A healthy lifestyle,
- Care and support
you can live a long life, even if you have a chronic condition.
To help the millions of people who have these conditions to manage their health better, the government has introduced an innovative free-service called CCMDD (Central Chronic Medicines, Dispensing and Distribution) that allows you to collect your government-issued medication from convenient pick up points like Dis-Chem, Clicks, Pick n Pay and even spaza shops and churches.
How has COVID-19 complicated things? Click here.
With support from the U.S President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief through the National Department of Health.
