LAHORE: Health experts on Saturday expressed concern over the rising number of diabetic patients in the country due to which Pakistan is ranked 7th in the world in terms of diabetic patients.
Addressing a symposium titled, “Clinical Symposium on Diabetes, Complications and the Role of Media” held at Lahore General Hospital, Ameer Uddin Medical College Principal Ghiasun Nabi Tayyab said that diabetes was considered a disease of rich people in the past. But, now every fourth person in the country was suffering from this disease, he added.
He said that medical professionals, social organisations and the media, including both electronic and print media, should come on one page to create awareness about diabetes in the country.
He said that diabetes was a silent killer which caused loss of vision, failure of kidneys and malfunctioning of other body parts in patients, without them knowing about it beforehand. He further said that obesity was one of the major causes of diabetes. The use of white flour, sugar and salt should be minimised, he added.
Professor Ghias suggested to patients to control their blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes to stay healthy, adding that exercise was also important to keep the disease under control.
Fatima Jinnah Medical University former vice chancellor Professor Dr Sardar Fakhar Imam appreciated the performance of Post Graduate Medical Institute (PGMI) Lahore for providing specialisation courses in different sectors of medical education, and said that those completing their education should also create awareness among masses about healthy living practices. He said that the media was the most powerful tool to create awareness among masses about common diseases prevalent in the country.
Professor Arif Zaheer, Professor Muhammad Moeen, Professor Altaf Qadir, Professor Ahsan Luqman, Professor Farooq Afzal, Professor Nuzhat Khawaja and Dr Aurangzeb Afzal addressed the participants of the symposium. The symposium was largely attended by doctors, nurses and medical students.
