KARACHI: Health and medical experts on Saturday warned that Pakistan needed hundreds of specialised and technology assisted health facilities at the grassroots level amid growing number of diabetes patients to prevent thousands of amputations due to diabetic foot ulcers and the situation was worsening due to ongoing second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

“As per the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), there are around 19.6 million people living with diabetes in Pakistan and of them one million to two million have developed diabetic foot ulcers,” said Prof Dr Abdul Basit, the secretary general of the Diabetic Association of Pakistan (DAP) while addressing the 8th National Association of Diabetes Educators of Pakistan (NADEP) Foot Con 2020.

“It’s a serious and alarming complication of type 2 diabetes. Of them, thousands of people face amputations of lower limbs annually in Pakistan. Thousands of amputations can be prevented with establishment of specialised diabetic foot clinics in the country,” he added.

Between one million and two million people have developed diabetic foot ulcers in Pakistan

The two-day international conference, being organised by the NADEP in collaboration with the Baqai Institute of Diabetology and Endocrinology (BIDE), was addressed by leading diabetologists and endocrinologists who shared their experiences in managing and treatment of diabetic foot ulcers and prevention of lower-limb amputations.

“Every year, 300,000 to 400,000 people lose their legs, feet or parts of lower limbs due to diabetic foot ulcers in Pakistan,” said Prof Basit. “But with better care, timely intervention and treatment as well as education and awareness, thousands of amputations can be prevented. For the last several years, we have trained hundreds of doctors, general practitioners and nurses to help people in preventing diabetic foot ulcers and saved hundreds of limbs.”

The eminent diabetologist, who has also served as the president of IDF’s Middle East and North Africa region, pointed out that 50 per cent amputations due to diabetic foot ulcers were prevented at 150 foot clinics established throughout the country where podiatrists and technicians trained by them were helping people with diabetes.

He added that now there was a need to replicate this project in entire Pakistan.

Dr Zahid Miyan, the organising secretary of the NADEP Diabetes Foot Con 2020, said that with the help of multidisciplinary care, training and awareness, around 50pc amputations could have been prevented at specialised foot clinics in Pakistan.

He called for using technology to reach the maximum number of people with diabetes to make them aware of its complications, especially diabetic foot ulcers.

“Due to Covid-19 restrictions, thousands of people with diabetic foot ulcers could not visit the specialised foot clinics and this leads to worsening of their wounds,” he said. “This issue can be resolved by using technology. We are conducting live workshops where experts are training doctors throughout Pakistan on cleaning, managing and treating diabetic foot ulcers. This may help to some extent but not largely.”

NADEP president Dr Saif-ul-Haq said there was an urgent need to spread awareness among healthcare professionals as well as common people so that diabetic foot ulcers and other complications of diabetes could be prevented in Pakistan.

“In addition to training doctors, there is a need to train thousands of nurses and take them on board in management of diabetes in Pakistan,” he said, adding that most of the complications of the lifestyle disease could be prevented by increasing awareness and educating the masses.

Published in Dawn, December 6th, 2020