By Nkiru Odinkemelu
Even though diabetes mellitus represents about 80 per cent of non-traumatic lower limb amputations worldwide, stakeholders in podiatry and diabetes foot care are worried that Nigeria presently does not have a working national policy on diabetes foot care.
According to them, the national policy the country presently has is scanty on diabetes and diabetes foot care as against other non communicable diseases like cancer and sickle cell anaemia.
The President, Diabetes Association of Nigeria (DAN) and Chief Medical Director, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, Prof. Mohammed Alkali, said “the national policy that we have now on management of non-communicable diseases in the country is so much skilled towards other non communicable diseases – sickle cell and cancer- as against diabetes which is the predominant of them all globally and in Nigeria. So, the policy is so scanty that it does not address the core issues relating to diabetes and foot care either in terms of training or appropriate things to be done to patients when they come to hospital.”
Meanwhile, the International Diabetes Federation notes that the prevalence of diabetes mellitus is on the increase worldwide, especially in developing nations like Nigeria; and with increasing diabetes prevalence comes increased diabetes complications.
This notion is supported by the World Health organisation (WHO) data on prevalence of diabetes in Nigeria which estimated that about 1,707,000 Nigerians are living with diabetes mellitus; an estimated increase of 4,835,000 is expected by 2030.
However, of the above figure, only four in every ten persons know of their condition which goes to say that a higher percentage of Nigerians are not aware of their diabetic conditions.
Local and international experts who gathered for the 4th Podiatry and Diabetes Foot care workshop, organised by Rainbow Specialist Medical Centre, in partnership with The World Diabetes Foundation and Podiatry Institute, USA have warned that such ignorance poses a lot of risks as untreated diabetes could lead to a lot of complications which include a diabetes foot syndrome.