Amputation of lower limbs due to diabetes is the leading cause of disability in Pakistan where around 0.3 to 0.4 million people are annually losing their feet and legs because of 'diabetic foot ulcers.' It is a serious but preventable cause of lower limb amputations, experts said.
"In 2005, one person was losing his or her lower limbs due to diabetic foot ulcers after every 30 seconds somewhere in the world but at the moment, this rate has increased," said Professor Abdul Basit, chairman of International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, speaking at the two-day Nadep Diabetes Footcon 2019. The event had begun here on Saturday.
IDF MENA chapter's head further said that now, after every 20 seconds, one amputation is being carried out somewhere in the world. He said that almost same is the situation in Pakistan and as per their estimates, up to 400,000 people annually lose their lower limbs due to diabetic foot ulcers in Pakistan.
Dozens of national and eminent international health experts working in the field of diabetes and its complications attended the event. They included: Professor Dr Roberto Anichini from Italy, Dr Zulfiqar G. Abbass from Tanzania, Dr Salma E Khuraibet from Kuwait as well as several others from United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and other countries of Middle East and Africa.
The event aimed at creating awareness about diabetic foot ulcers and its prevention to reduce amputations in Pakistan. Professor Abdul Basit, who is also the Director of Baqai Institute of Diabetology and Endocrinology (BIDE), Karachi, emphasised the need that at least 3000 diabetic foot clinics should be established throughout Pakistan to reduce amputations due to diabetic foot ulcers and to prevent the country from becoming a disabled nation.
"In Sindh, we have spoken to the provincial health department and offered to train their doctors so that they may provide training to healthcare providers and experts operating in rural areas where diabetes prevalence is as high as in the urban areas," he shared.
He further said prevalence of diabetes in Balochistan increased up to 60 percent that was more than double as compared to the rest of Pakistan where it stood at around 26 percent. The IDF MENA head called for more comprehensive studies to ascertain causes of such a high prevalence of diabetes among people in Balochistan.