Many Indonesians have diabetes

BANDUNG: Between one to two percent of all Indonesians have diabetes which, a senior official says, will become a serious health problem unless something is done.

The director general for medical services at the health ministry, Soejoga, said that the finding came from a recent ministry survey.

"The problem will worsen if it is not handled seriously," he told participants of a national symposium on endocrinology over the weekend.

The mortality rate of patients with diabetes is twice as high compared to those who do not have it," he said, adding that people with diabetes melitus usually suffer from a complication of other diseases.

An estimated 100 million people all over the world now have diabetes, or three times more than in 1987, Soejoga said. (pet)

;JP;MAN; ANPAa..r.. Across-Bengkulu-teachers Rural areas need more teachers JP/2/ACROSS

Rural areas need more teachers

BENGKULU, Sumatra: The head of the local office of the Ministry of Education and Culture, Idrus Mauma, says he cannot accept requests from teachers who work in isolated areas that they be moved to urban centers because the villages need them.

Idrus said that the teachers' request was illogical because some schools in rural areas were still badly in need of teachers while the towns already had an abundance of teachers.

Most of the 1,316 elementary schools in this province are located in the villages and 73 of them lack teachers.

"We need 1,500 more teachers, especially in the fields of religion an sports," he said, as quoted by Antara.

Idrus added there were only 11,500 teachers working in this province and that was not enough.

"On many occasions a teacher has to handle three or four classes at the same time", Idrus said. (03)

;JP;EMB; ANPAa..r.. Across-Cirebon-graft Village head jailed for graft JP/2/ACROSS

Village head jailed for embezzlement

CIREBON, West Java: A village head has been sentenced to five years imprisonment for embezzling Rp 252 million ($120,000) from his office.

Kadiman Sakim, 34 years old, head of the Tegalwangi village in the Cirebon regency, was found guilty of misappropriating the money, part of the proceeds of a Rp 1.2 billion sale of state land which he handled, Antara reported.

Kadiman, who is planning to appeal against the verdict, in his defense said he was simply borrowing the money and had planned to return it. (emb)