KARACHI: Proper training of GPs stressed: Diabetes control
KARACHI, Nov 15: Urgent measures to enhance and improve diagnostic as well as management skills of local general medical practitioners with reference to diabetes was stressed at a symposium organized here under the aegis of JPMC’s Diabetic Clinic, in collaboration with the NICH here on Thursday.
Prof Mashkoor Alam Shah, referring to a surge in the patients suffering from Type-2 Diabetes said that since it was always the GPs who encounter such patients at the first instance, thus it was a prerequisite to improve their investigation skills, coupled with proper information regarding the needed medical therapy.
It is owing to the very idea that the Diabetic Clinic is contemplated to be expanded into a diabetology centre with the provision of a short-term and regular series of training programmes for GPs, which would be tailored in accordance to the time convenience of the course participants along with another programme for post-graduate students.
Prof Shah explicitly discussed the working of the diabetic clinic, where some 70 to 80 patients are regularly attended and provided almost all medical assistance, including drugs free of cost.
Earlier, Nazim of the City Government, Naimatullah Khan, inaugurated the public awareness session of the day-long symposium and said lack of modification and sedentary life-style has exposed the locals to a disease very costly.
The session was also addressed by Prof A.K. Mashkoor Kazi, JPMC director, Prof. Zeenat Essani, Director, NICH, Prof. Zaman Sheikh, Dr. Qaiser Jamal, Dr. Jamal Raza and Dr. Jamal Ara.
It was followed by an open question hour session, attended by some 300 people, largely comprising patients visiting the JPMC.
Speaking at the scientific session of the programme, Prof Dr Ghaffar Billoo, said that despite the fact that the incidence of juvenile diabetes (Diabetes Type-1) was very low among local children, yet lack of awareness and misconceptions have turned it to be a trauma for the affected children.
According to the speaker, the condition is registered in not more than 0.7 of every 10,00 children in the country, hence it was not a serious problem as compared to other parts of the world, but the stigma attached to the disease had turned the scenario extremely difficult for the kids inflicted with the disease.
The situation is also negligible in the backdrop of a constant rise in the number patients (adults) inflicted with Diabetes Type-2, mainly due to acquired factors, he said.
“It is often and wrongly enumerated, along with a long list of contagious diseases, including tuberculosis, resulting in unnecessary isolation of the child,” he said referring to misconceptions about the ailment.
According to him, the fault mainly lies with the parents who instead of accepting that it is not infectious and that it may have occurred even to their child and that adopting an adequate methodology, under the guidance of well-trained doctors, to provide quality life to their offspring often prefer to approach a quack or shaman.
He reminded that unnecessary delay in timely and proper medical intervention may expose many of the child patients to a difficult condition, including mortality.
Prof. Billoo maintained that the very revelation of the child being diabetic and that his/her dependency on insulin may be life-long adds to the misery of many of the guardians.
“The fact that cost-effective availability of insulin is a major dilemma for a large majority of locals also cannot be overlooked,” the senior doctor said.
With reference to the long-term management of the Diabetes Type-1, he suggested that child patients be allowed normal physical activity, more ideally an hour-long exercise each day, discouraging long duration of sleep.
“This should be along with adequate emphasis on normal emotional and psychological health of the child as well as the family,” the paediatrician said, adding proper and regular schooling must also be considered part of the long-term management of Diabetes Type-1.
The diet and nutrition for such children be as broad as possible, with particular care to avoid sugar and refined carbohydrates. Major emphasis must also be on high fibre and low fat diet, which must again not be made distinctive to food taken by other members of the family.
The session was also addressed by Prof. Fazal Akhter of the SIUT, Prof Nargis Soomro of the Dow Medical College and Prof.I. H. Jokhio.—APP
