By Gabriel Olawale

Nigeria is currently having the highest number of diabetes foot cases in Africa. To this end, Rainbow Specialist Medical Centre, in partnership with the World Diabetes Foundation and the Podiatry Institute, USA, is organising its third annual capacity building workshop on diabetes foot care in Lagos.

In a statement, Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Afoke Isiavwe, said the workshop, which opens August 15-19, 2016,  aims at empowering health workers with much needed skills  to help prevent, identify and reduce the risk of diabetes-related foot amputations in the country.

Diabetic foot complications, though preventable, are a leading cause of admission, amputation and mortality in diabetic patients worldwide.

“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 organised 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  forum for Nigerian healthcare professionals to acquire basic foot care  skills,” Isiavwe said.

With the theme:  “Initiating, Implementing and Sustaining a National Diabetes Foot Care Policy”, the workshop is expected to feature resource persons from the USA, South Africa and within Nigeria. 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.