Vanguard hosts medical team for blood sugar screening

… large turnout by staff

Rainbow Specialist Hospital nurses at work

It was the turn of Vanguard,  a leading national daily, to host the medical team coordinated by Nigeria Health Online yesterday for the ongoing free blood glucose screening for journalists to mark the 2016 World Diabetes Day.

The excitement was palpable as the staff, from the General Managers to the lower cadres turned out in large number to know their status. The medical team was lead by Dr. Afoke Isiavwe, an  endocrinologist and Medical Director of Rainbow Specialist with Roche Diabetes Care providing all devices for the screening including Accu Chek Glucometres, strips and free information materials. The company was represented by Miss Adenike Dosumu, a diabetes educator who also assisted in enlightening the participants on the right choice of food for healthy living and gave out free app containing relevant information on the disease.

In a lecture to the staff, Dr. Isiavwe disclosed that diabetes mellitus was increasing at an alarming rate in all countries including Nigeria. As if that is not enough, almost half of the people living with the disease in Nigeria and many developing counties do not know they have it.

“For many people, it is when they are struck with diabetes complication such as blindness, foot ulcer that defiles treatment and ends up being amputated, impotence, stroke and several other serious conditions, that they get to know they have diabetes. Some may never know as the disease could terminate their life.”

Dr Isiavwe stressed the need for everyone to strive to know their status by checking their blood sugar, from time to time, so that they can commence treatment early if found to be diabetic.

“In all these, we need to know that diabetes is more of a lifestyle disease though it is also hereditary, that is, it runs in the family. Even when it runs in the family, an individual can still prevent it with a healthy lifestyle.

“For a start, let’s learn to eat well. The food portion place (poster supplied by Roche)  shows we must eat vegetables more than any other food. We should form the habit of adding plenty of vegetables to all our meals and eat less carbohydrates – our eba, amala, yam, starch etc, which are our common staple. Yes, we must eat them but the quantity of vegetable we eat with them should be plenty and far more than the carbohydrates.  Also, let us do without the orishishi protein such as shaki, bokoto, ponmo, liver, kidney among others. They are sources of high cholesterol, a sister of diabetes.”

Dr. Isiavwe also took time to counsel individuals whose blood sugar were considered very high and above the normal range.  A few were referred to their nearest public hospital while they were given tips about medications and right diets,

The endocrinologists commended Vanguard management for providing a sick bay run by qualified nurses. The team donated two Accu Chek glucometer to the clinic to be able to conduct blood glucose screening regularly,

General Managers Mr. Gbenga Adefaye and Mrs Omasan Dudu commended the team and expressed profound appreciation for the inclusion of Vanguard in the exercise. They both offered themselves for screening to encourage members of staff to participate fully in the exercise.

The programme for the 2016 World Diabetes Day continues next Wednesday with a media roundtable organised by Nigeria Health Online at Peninsula Hotel, Lekki. The roundtable is sponsored by Roche Diabetes Care, Rainbow Specialist Hospital and Eli Lilly Nigeria.

It will be anchored by Dr. Isiavwe who will be disseminating information on her findings during the screening in addition to a presentation on diabetes in Nigeria and the introduction of Podiatry as part of diabetes complication management in the country, a project initiated by Rainbow Specialist Hospital in collaboration with the American Podiatry Institute and World Diabetes Federation.