Diabetes mellitus type 2 or type 2 diabetes (formerly called non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), or adult-onset diabetes) is a disorder that is characterised by high blood glucose in the context of insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency. While it is often initially managed by increasing exercise and dietary modification, medications are typically needed as the disease progresses.
The ailment was recently observed to be on the rise in members of Ikorodu in Lagos State. This observation was made known by Mobolaji Olukoya, the medical director of the General Hospital, Ikorodu, who revealed that after a study was done, the results showed that about 20,000 adults in the area had Type 2 diabetes.
This was made known to all at the launch of Novo Nordisk’s Insulin Centre and Base of the Pyramid Programme Project, in collaboration with the Sunny Kuku Foundation and the Lagos State Ministry of Health at the General Hospital, Ikorodu recently.
For Femi Olugbile, a permanent secretary in the Lagos State Ministry of Health, the awareness and treatment programs will go a long way in reducing the spread because people will know what to eat and what not to eat and the lifestyle they should embrace and what to refrain from. “This means that residents can have access to a functional 24-hour primary healthcare facility that has the capability to recognise diseases that they are not aware they have,” Olugbile said.
Olukoya’s observation revealed that the number of people who have diabetes in the rural areas were lower than those who preside in the urban areas and this he attributed to lifestyle and eating habits and encouraged government to create more awareness about this by providing resources needed for constant blood sugar screening.
According to Mads Bo Larsen, the vice president, Novo Nordisk’s International Operations in Africa, Gulf and India, “The BoP centre is a place where people living with diabetes will be offered guidance on how to manage their diabetes, get their blood glucose tested and get easy and fast access to insulin. This is a pilot project in Nigeria; we have done the same in India and Kenya.”
KEMI AJUMOBI
