One Million Living With Diabetes In Rivers – Korubo

The Diabetic Associa
tion of Nigeria (DAN), South-South zone, has said that more than one million people are living with diabetes in Rivers State.
The Vice President of the association, who is also a consultant endocrinologist at the University of Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Dr. Ibitrokoemi Korubo, disclosed this to The Tide in an interview in Port Harcourt.
Korubo, who is also a former chairman of Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) in Rivers State, said the number of people living with diabetes in the state is on the increase.
The Vice President called on the people to adhere to medical advice and ensure regular checks of their sugar level.
Also speaking, National Secretary General, Diabetes Association of Nigeria, Comrade Bernard Enyea regretted the low government’s interest in addressing the challenges faced by diabetes patients in the state.
Enyea pointed out that the lack of government interest was underscored by the absence of any office or desk officer in the state ministry of health, saying that other killer diseases such as Malaria, HIV/AIDS, among others, already have special offices dedicated to their eradication in the ministry to emphasise government’s priority attention to them.
While calling on the government to create an office with competent staff to manage the state’s efforts to reducing the impact of diabetes on the state, he charged the government to open diabetes front desks and offices in all primary, secondary and tertiary health facilities to facilitate the fight to halt the rise in the pandemic and eliminate the disease in the state.
The theme for this year’s World Health Day, celebrated last Thursday, is: “Halt The Rise: Beat Diabetes.”

Susan Serekara-Nwikhana