NASSAU, The Bahamas– Health Minister Dr. Duane Sands says diabetes mellitus is a devastating and costly non-communicable disease and is the fifth leading cause of death in The Bahamas.
“The prevalence of diabetes increased from 6.7 per cent to 9.2 per cent in 2005, and has now reached epidemic proportions at 13.6 per cent in 2019,” Dr. Sands told delegates attending the International Podiatry Conference here late last month.
“Our rate stands at 37.9 deaths per 100,000 persons due to diabetes.”
Dr. Sands said many people with uncontrolled diabetes experience foot and ankle ailments and complications and that every year, more than one million people with diabetes lose at least a part of their lower limb.He said that prevention of foot ulcers is an important priority in Podiatric Medicine and for the diabetic patient. It is reported that 85 percent of all amputations are preceded by an ulcer and can thus be prevented.
Dr. Sands said podiatry services were reinstated in the public sector a year ago. Since then, almost 700 patients were treated between the ages of three months and 98 years. Twenty-seven percent of the patients seen were diabetics.
