Multinational pharmaceutical company Roche Diagnostics in collaboration with Rainbow Specialist Medical Centre earlier today kicked off activities marking the 2016 World Health Day (WHD) in Nigeria with a media roundtable organised by Nigeria Health Online (NHO) to provide journalists with vital information on diabetes, the focus of this year’s WHD.
The media roundtable, which was declared open by the Minister of Health Prof. Issac Adewole who was represented by the Chief Medical Director of Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Prof. Chris Bode featured a presentation on the global diabetes burden by the WHO Coordinator, Lagos Dr. Omoniyi Abidoye and a lecture by an Endocrinologist, Dr. Afoke Isiavwe.
Highlights of the Roundtable:
* Diabetes is a high profile health issue and an emergency situation in Nigeria
* Diabetes is spreading fast in different countries of the world.
* There’s an urgent need for the Nigerian government to introduce a policy to provide access for diabetes care by people living with the condition while also creating awareness among the people on the nature of the disease and the numerous complications associated with it.
* A majority of people living with diabetes cannot afford the required management of the disease to be able to achieve effective control, making it necessary for government to urgently subsidise drugs and devices for diabetes management.
More stories shortly.