APaediatrician with the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Dr Tamunopriye Jaja, has stressed the need for the Federal Government to establish diabetes centres in parts of the country and make diabetes drugs free of charge while states should create camps for diabetic patients as a means of reducing the ailment among Nigerians.
The paediatrician, in a paper titled, “Children living with diabetes”, she delivered during a health awareness campaign/seminar on diabetes organised by O.B. Lulu-Briggs Foundation, last Monday in Port Harcourt, noted that between 500,000 and 700,000 people worldwide live with the ailment, which she said, was however, not a killer disease, if properly managed, pointing out that people die of it due to lack of proper care.
In another paper tagged, “Diabetes Mellitus: The Care You Need”, a guest lecturer and Consultant Endocrinologist, Dr Ibitrokoemi Faye Kurubo disclosed that $192billion was spent on diabetes-related cases in Africa, pointing out that the ailment was no longer problem of adults but also children.
He enumerated the causes and risk factors for diabetes mellitus to include non-production of insulin by the body, low performance of produced insulin, eating of too much food, weight gain and obesity, little or no exercise, stress from different causes, side effect of some drugs and other diseases, genetic causes, and ageing, especially after 45 years, and prescribed regular check/monitoring of blood sugar level, taking prescribed medication, eating balanced diet, among others.
In their separate lectures titled, “Youth Living with diabetes” and “Uses of Exercise for Diabetes”, respectively, Miss Oprah Kosuowei and Dr. Appolos noted that there were 13 active youths living with diabetes associations in 11 countries of the African region and advised those living with diabetes to eat and drink with care while making exercise their regular habit but with caution.
Earlier in her address as Chairman of the occasion, Dr. Seinye O.B. Lulu-Briggs had explained that the O.B. Lulu-Briggs Foundation decided to organize the programme in advance of this year’s International Diabetes Federation Day celebration with the theme, “The Family and Diabetes”, realizing the fact that the aliment was a challenge to not only the aged but also youth and children the world over, and appealed for partnership from the government, private institutions and individuals in the various programmes of the foundation.