Federal government has been tasked to focus more attention on tackling the prevalence of diabetes amongst Nigerians by creating a special centre for the testing and treatment of the disease across the country.
Senator Lee Maeba who gave the charge in Abuja at the kick-off of a free diabetes screening exercise for Diabetes to mark this year's World Diabetes Day, expressed worry over the apparent neglect of the disorder while urging government at the top and other relevant stakeholders to commit reasonable resources to diabetes to help in reducing its spread.
Earlier, Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu said the Ministry is partnering and collaborating with well-meaning organisations to minimise the impact of the disorder.
He explained that more than three-quarters of diabetes deaths occur in low and middle income countries including Nigeria
Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ambassador Sani Bala, Chukwu said 21 percent of persons (225,000) were aware of their condition while 18 percent (198,000) were on treatment.
The Minister maintained that the striking figures showed that millions of Nigerians have diabetes and many more are at the risk of developing it in the future.
He advised Nigerians to protecting themselves and their families from diabetes by identifying risk factors and taking small steps to avoid them.
For those who already have diabetes, he said it was very important to follow doctors' advice and undertake regular health checks.
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