Isiavwe said diabetes mellitus is now on the increase worldwide and diabetic foot complications, though preventable, are a leading cause of admission, amputation and mortality in diabetic patients worldwide. She said, “For diabetes mellitus foot syndrome, prevention is better than cure. Sadly many persons affected report for treatment too late when not much can be done to help them, except amputation, to save their lives. The workshop is therefore being organized to bring the medical practitioners and other health care workers involved in diabetes management up-to-date, especially in the care of the foot of persons living with diabetes.

“Podiatry, a branch of medicine which deals with the care of the foot, is currently not taught in any Nigerian school of medicine.  Rainbow Specialist Medical Centre plans to bridge this gap, in the interim, by providing a hand on forum for Nigerian healthcare professionals to acquire basic foot care skills.”

With the theme:  “Initiating, Implementing and Sustaining a National Diabetes Foot Care Policy,” she said the workshop is expected to feature resource persons from the USA, South Africa and from within Nigeria and that participants will include medical doctors, nurses, plaster technicians, Residents in internal medicine, Paediatrics, and  Orthopaedic surgery, and healthcare workers caring for persons living with diabetes.

Source: Leadership Online