Experts task FG on access to diabetes treatment
Experts in the management of diabetes have called on the Federal Government to make treatment accessible and affordable for people living with the condition in the country.
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The experts disclosed this in separate interviews to commemorate the 2023 World Diabetes Day which is observed on November 14 every year.
Citing the rising cost of medicines and the economic hardships in the country, the physicians said people living with diabetes could no longer afford their routine medication.
A consultant endocrinologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Professor Olufemi Fasanmade, urged the government to support the prevention and diagnosis of diabetes.
Fasanmade said the government should ensure that every patient who visits the hospital for any health condition has access to a free blood sugar check.
“Diabetes tests should be mandatory for everybody, especially the adults. This is the way you can quickly detect diabetes outcomes in the country and prevent it.
“People should screen more and raise awareness and prepare more. We must prevent diabetes from occurring and those who already have it should try to avoid the complications that could lead to amputation and other risks.
“Everybody should know the risks he has because it’s not the best for one’s leg to be cut off because he doesn’t know that he is diabetic or knows but chose to do nothing. We need to know our risk and response to diabetes,” he said.
Also, a public health physician at Badagry General Hospital, Lagos, Dr Mohammadu Sani, said the World Diabetes Day provided an opportunity for people to check on their risks, advising those living with the disease not to allow their health to deteriorate.
He said, “This is a significant response to diabetes. So, if you have a brother or parent with diabetes, let them check their responses because there are many risks associated with diabetes. There are the risks of kidney failure, amputation, renal failure, and many other risks that can be prevented by knowing one’s diabetes status and monitoring it.”
According to the International Diabetes Federation, one in 10 adults worldwide have diabetes, saying that over 90 percent have type 2 diabetes and close to half are not yet diagnosed.
The global health body said, “World Diabetes Day provides an opportunity to raise awareness on diabetes as a global public health issue and what needs to be done, collectively and individually, for better prevention, diagnosis and management of the condition.”
