Dr Talal Khader Talal, Head of Podiatric Services at HMC, with Dr Salma Khraibit, diabetic foot surgeon and Board Member of GCC Group for Diabetic Foot, during a press conference at the HMC yesterday. Pic: Abdul Basit / The Peninsula
At least 15 percent of people with diabetes in Qatar develop disorders in foot and some 18,500 such cases were seen at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) last year, says a senior official.
However, the number of limb and foot amputation is very low due to advanced treatment methods available in the country, said Dr Talal Khader Talal, Head of Podiatric Services at HMC yesterday.
“According to international data, around 23 percent are diabetic in Qatar. Among them, 15 percent have diabetic foot pathologies and conditions like foot ulcers and neuropathy (patients have a reduced ability to feel pain) are common,” said Dr Talal.
“Most patients come to us at a later stage of the complication and it takes a minimum of three months to cure them. But the number of amputation is very low here and Qatar has the best medicines and treatment methods,” he said at a press conference held to announce the third Gulf Diabetic Foot Conference.
The conference will bring together more than 700 local, regional and international participants between March 3 and 4. It aims to address the growing global healthcare challenge posed by diabetes-related limb amputations. Experts from across the world will discuss and share the latest developments in the assessment and management of diabetic foot disease.
“The conference will bring together global experts in the field of diabetic foot care in Doha. We have an impressive lineup of speakers who are leaders in their respective fields. They will highlight the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment associated with the surgical and medical management of diabetic foot. Around 80 presentations and several workshops will be held over the two days,” said Dr Talal, who is also the head of the scientific committee for the conference.
The third Gulf Diabetic Foot Conference is organized by the HMC in collaboration with the Gulf Diabetic Foot Working Group.
The Gulf Diabetic Foot Working Group has undertaken major initiatives to raise awareness about the prevention of diabetes, noting that foot complications related to uncontrolled diabetes can have life-altering consequences for the patient so diabetic foot care and amputation prevention efforts must become a collective agenda for practitioners worldwide.
“Diabetic foot is the major complication, people might even lose their limbs and foot. But it is preventable and our main aim is to create awareness among people to reduce complications,” said Dr Salma Khuraibel, Diabetic foot and wound care surgeon from Kuwait.
