Hospital to Conduct Free Diabetes Screening Today

By Martins Ifijeh

As part of activities to mark the 2016 World Health Day (WHD), the management of Rainbow Specialist Medical Centre, Lekki, Lagos, will today be conducting a free diabetes foot screening and diabetes foot care education for Nigerians living with diabetes.

In a statement signed by the chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Afoke Isiavwe, the free diabetes foot screening, which will be between 12 noon and 3pm at the hospital premises, he said Nigeria has one of the highest number of persons living with diabetes in Africa, hence the screening exercise should be of interest to everyone.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), diabetes was chosen as the theme for the 2016 WHD to increase awareness about the rise of the disease, and its staggering burden and consequences, particularly in low-and middle-income countries.

As at 2014, according to WHO, Nigeria had 1,707,000 cases of diabetes, one of the highest in the African region. Persons with poor diabetes mellitus care will develop a wide range of complications linked with the disease, including diabetes mellitus foot syndrome, which leads to lengthy hospital stay, and sometimes amputations and death.

Rainbow Specialist Medical Centre is providing the screening free of charge to mark the WHD because, early detection of diabetes-related foot problems through foot screening and good diabetes foot care habits will reduce the chances of this happening.

“Diabetes foot, in particular could be deadly if not detected on time. We will therefore urge people living with diabetes to come for the free screening and also be properly counselled on how they can prevent diabetes complications, especially diabetes foot.

“Diabetes related foot ulcerations can have potential devastating complications as they may lead to lower extremity amputations. The person living with diabetes face a risk of foot amputation that may be more than 25 times greater than that in people without diabetes.

“This is why Rainbow Specialist Medical Centre has in the last couple of years, in partnership with the World Diabetes Foundation embarked on a range of enlightening activities both for diabetes patients and care givers to help curb the growing incidence of diabetes foot complication in Nigeria,” the statement said.