5 Million Living With Diabetes in Nigeria, Says EMSON

Bassey Inyang in Calabar
About five million Nigerians are suffering from diabetes, the President of the Endocrine and Metabolism Society of Nigeria (EMSON), Professor Feyi Adegoke, has disclosed.

Adegoke spoke through EMSON’s Secretary General, Dr Olufemi Fasanmade, at the opening of the 38th Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting of the society on Wednesday in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, and expressed fears that the figure could rise to 10 million if the situation was not properly managed.

Adegoke identified huge consumption of alcohol, soft drinks, and lack of physical activities as hugely responsible for the increasing cases of diabetes in the country.

She said members of the society were meeting to deliberate on scientific and medical issues associated with diabetes and metabolism, particularly in Nigeria.

She said the theme of the conference, “Endocrinology Practice in a Resource-constrained Setting”, was apt for discussion as complications of Endocrine conditions continue to be the issue as hospital resources continue to dwindle.

The EMSON president said members of the society were looking forward to the delivery by the wealth of presentations, focusing on the challenges being faced in the local setting and how they could be overcome.

At the opening ceremony, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Inyang Asibong, said over 97,000 people are living with diabetes in the state.

He said the disease was on the increase in the state, especially in the rural communities where only few cases were recorded.
However, the commissioner expressed the hope that EMSON experts would work towards finding better solutions to diabetes and other endocrine and metabolic disorders.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Professor Zana Akpagu, who declared the conference open, expressed his appreciation to the society for working with the university to achieve the aims and objectives of its medical school and related faculties.
He said the management of the university would continue to encourage intellectual activities and exchange of ideas propagated by the society.