The National Institute of Health (NIH) through an official notification has formally taken over the database of diabetics, Diabetes Registry of Pakistan (DROP) to collect the nationwide data of Type-1 and Type-2 diabetics and manage the lifestyle epidemic in the country,
“We have officially been informed by NIH Islamabad Executive Director General Amer Ikram that the NIH has formally taken over the Diabetes Registry of Pakistan from the Baqai Institute of Diabetology and Endocrinology (BIDE). DROP has now become the official diabetes registry of Pakistan through a government notification and from now onwards, we would be having official notational data of diabetes in Pakistan,” Prof Abdul Basit, president of the IDF Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region told an international conference. database of diabetics, The international moot titled ‘NADEP Footcon 2022’ has been organised by the National Association of Diabetes Educators of Pakistan (NADEP) in collaboration with the BIDE, IDF, D-Foot International and other organizations. It is being attended by health experts from several countries of the world as well as cities of Pakistan. Prof Basit maintained that the legs of around 400,000 people were being amputated annually in Pakistan due to diabetic foot, a primary complication of diabetes as there were around 33 million people living with the lifestyle disease, of which majority of people died within five years of amputation. It urged the authorities to establish diabetic foot clinics throughout the country to prevent 75 to 80 per cent of amputations.
“Diabetes is spreading like fire in Pakistan where 33 million people are living with the lifestyle disease and if preventive measures would not be taken, the number of diabetics would be doubled by 2032 in the country,” he warned. He maintained that 50 per cent amputations could be prevented by establishing foot clinics across the country where trained general physicians could take care of the wounds and in case of complications, refer the cases to specialised clinics before it became too late. He urged the public and private sector to support them in spreading the network of specialised foot clinics across Pakistan. database of diabetics, “We at the BIDE have established 118 foot clinics in Sindh, Punjab and some other parts of the country where amputation rate has dropped to 75 per cent due to early detection and treatment of foot ulcers. We have also reduced the incidence of foot ulcers to zero per cent in people with diabetes by providing them specialised footwear,” Prof Abdul Basit informed. Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) president Prof Noshad Shaikh in his presidential address termed diabetes a ‘real emerging threat’ for Pakistan, saying that by 2032, around 66 million people would be living with diabetes in Pakistan, and managing health needs of such a large population would be impossible for the health authorities in Pakistan. “In these circumstances, prevention through awareness becomes the only option left for us. This conference is a major step in preventing diabetes and its complications like amputations. As a surgeon, I have seen people getting their lower limbs amputated and then dying within a few years of the operation,” he said and also urged institutions to conduct meaningful research to benefit a large number of patients in Pakistan.
Source: This news is orginally publlished by dawn