Lack of awareness on diabetes brings setbacks
Raajkumar is among many other people who had lost their legs and occupation due to lack of awareness on the impact of diabetes.
Chennai: Rajakumar, a 52-year old visually impaired, never did expect that he would lose a leg. Being a farmer from Salianthopu, a small village near Chidambaram, he has no one to take care of him except his brother and an 80-year-old mother. “Fifteen days ago we brought him to M. V. Hospital for diabetes, his blood sugar level was about 400mg/dL. The doctors said that his condition was hopeless and amputated his left leg. Now farming is a distant dream for him” said Rajakumar’s brother.
Raajkumar is among many other people who had lost their legs and occupation due to lack of awareness on the impact of diabetes. “Only way to avoid amputation is by educating the patients on foot care practices,” said Dr Vijay Vishwanathan, head & chief diabetologist, M.V. Hospital for Diabetes, Royapuram during the silver jubilee celebration of the hospitals’ Podiatry service, celebrated yesterday.
“The figures available from the International Diabetes Federation show that yearly 2 lakh diabetic patients undergo amputations of leg. Our mission is to deliver high-quality podiatry care at affordable cost. In the last 25 years we have treated close to ninety thousand patients with foot infection and have helped 97% of our patients,” added the doctor.
The hospital also has an In-house factory, where specialized footwear and Insoles are manufactured for the diabetic patients with the help of CFTI. On this occasion, a foot care kit developed by the hospital was distributed to the patients, who had undergone amputation and other people whose legs had been saved from amputation. Information material on amputation prevention’’ was released by the patients’ themselves.