AS THE world marked this year's World Diabetes Day (WDD) 2011 on Monday, the Diabetes Association Nigeria (DAN) had said that the plight of many diabetic Nigerian is worst than what was the case before insulin was discovered in 1921.Though there is still low awareness about the condition, they noted that the cost of managing the life-long disease is too unbearable to average Nigerians, coupled with absence of insulin in many healthcare centres.National President of DAN, Dr. Sonny Chinenye, said at the WDD 2011 commemoration in Lagos that the outcome is that many diabetics are poorly treated, and presenting at the hospital with complications like foot ulcers, kidney failure, blindness, stroke etc.Chinenye said, as some health centres still treat diabetes as typhoid and malaria, 'condition of the diabetic patients today could be equated to what was happening in 1921.'That wonderful substance called insulin that turn round the management of diabetes in the world was discovered in 1921. Before then, those that have diabetes simply died. But today, people can now live longer living with diabetes.'What we are seeing today in the life of an average Nigerian with diabetes is that he does not have access to insulin. He cannot afford it because it is costly. They are also not available in many healthcare centres in the country,' he said.He added that the norm around the world is the drive for 'affordable, accessible and available' anti-diabetes drugs and consumables at every healthcare level.Chinenye recommended that there should be a national diabetes programme that would contain some objectives, structured target and a document that should guide healthcare providers like Lagos is introducing.'These documents will be used at the Tertiary, Secondary and the Primary healthcare facilities to guide the healthcare providers. As providers, one of the problems we have is that many are not well empowered. We have not built enough capacity to detect and manage this illness at the primary level, where a bulk of the patients present.'He added that financial resources that are commensurate with the burden of Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) should be allocated from the national budgets.'This is to support NCD primary prevention and case management using the primary health care approach, establish sustainable innovative and new financing mechanisms at national, state and local levels,' he said.Apparently in agreement with Chinenye, Coordinator of the association in Lagos State, Dr. Anthonia Ogbera said that there is an urgent need to empower the providers at all levels to adequately detect, diagnose and manage diabetes, especially the uncomplicated cases.'This clinical practice guidelines on diabetes mellitus for Lagos State is just timely for all cadres of healthcare professionals in the field. We are proud that Lagos State is the first to have this guideline in place and to serve as a template for the rest of the country,' she said.The guideline was put together by doctors under the aegis of the Lagos state diabetes-working group, and sponsored by the World Diabetes Foundation, Structured Healthcare Initiative (STRUHI) and Codix pharmaceutical.In similar vein, the Lagos state government had encouraged the populace to take advantage of its on-going statewide free hypertension and diabetes screening exercise in at least 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.Special Adviser to the Lagos State Government on Public health, Dr. Yewande Adeshina, said that the round eight of the exercise was aimed at stemming the tide of health and economic loss that both diseases pose to individuals and the government.To however improve awareness among the populace, consultant Physician and Endocrinologist Dr. Afoke Isioewe stressed that Nigeria need to start a diabetes prevention programme and have it integrated into the educational system.Her call was in line with the theme of this year's WDD commemoration: 'Diabetes education and prevention: understand diabetes and take control'.Isioewe said: 'There are so many people that still do not know that they have the condition or what it is. We should therefore start informing the school pupils as well as their teachers to make the message go round on how to prevent diabetes.
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