Roche, Nigerian Health Care Professionals Partner on Diabetes Care
- A diabetic organisation is partnering with Nigerian health practitioners to provide care for patients
- Roche Diabetic Care Nigeria launched a three-month training across Nigeria for diabetic care
- The health practitioners lamented the low level of glucose monitoring among patients in Nigeria
Roche Diabetes Care (DC) Nigeria has launched a three-month healthcare professional (HCP) training initiative, Themed The “Healthcare Practitioner in Diabetes Mentorship Programme.” Conducted across five cities in Nigeria, including Kaduna, Jos, Ibadan, Benin, and Lagos.
The program aims to create a platform for education and mentoring for HCPs across Nigeria to lift the standard of diabetes care in the country.
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The programme seeks to raise awareness among Nigerians
According to the International Diabetes Federation, diabetes has a prevalence of 3.7% in Nigeria, affecting around 3.6 million people – and is on the rise.
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Effective diabetes management remains a pressing concern in the country, with a rising burden of diabetes complications and deaths and significant strain on public health systems already under considerable pressure.
The Guardian reports that low instances of blood glucose monitoring and the lack of an integrated, personalised diabetes management (EPDM) framework are substantial barriers to addressing the burden. Acknowledging these gaps, the Roche Diabetes Care (DC) team has introduced a Healthcare Professional (HCP) Mentorship Programme – a capacity-building initiative specifically targeting diabetes management1,2.
Health experts lament low sugar monitoring
Tosin Akinsulire, Product Manager at Roche Diabetes Care, explains that Nigeria has an alarmingly low frequency of blood glucose monitoring among people with diabetes.
She said that one of the primary reasons for this issue is the reliance on in-clinic blood glucose values for assessment, which needs to be revised to achieve better patient outcomes on a broader scale.
She stated low awareness among doctors and nurses about the importance of routine blood glucose testing, intense self-monitoring among patients, the pain associated with pricking, and the economic burden of frequent monitoring.
According to Akinsulire, Roche is committed to improving access to diabetes care in its communities. We aim to address these issues by empowering more healthcare professionals to enhance patient outcomes and embrace integrated, personalised diabetes management approaches through education and mentorship.
The Roche Diabetes HCP Mentorship Programme focuses on long-term capacity building through increased investment in research and development, ultimately working towards improving lives – today and for future generations.
The program will provide a platform for seasoned experts and mentors, including Prof. Olufemi Fasanmade, considered the grandfather of diabetes in Nigeria!, to conduct interactive sessions and share their experiences, discuss real-local data, and provide practical guidance. The aim is to train 350 HCPs and raise 200 advocates. This diverse group includes general practitioners, residents, senior registrars, endocrinologists, nurses, and pharmacists from tertiary and secondary hospitals.
Programme yielding positive results
The programme has shown positive results, with 263 healthcare practitioners across 63 hospitals completing training sessions in the five targeted cities.
Per Olufemi Fasanmade, Professor of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, the education and mentoring provided in this programme will create tremendous value for the HCP community in Nigeria by facilitating the sharing of experience, data-driven insights, practical perspectives, and knowledge transfer from experienced experts to younger professionals.
He said the move would equip us as healthcare providers with the skills and understanding we need to implement personalised diabetes care effectively – for the good of more patients in Nigeria and beyond.
Akinsulire said:
“This initiative is an excellent example of collaboration between key stakeholders within the healthcare system of Nigeria. To consistently improve patient care, we will continue collaborating with our partners, governments, and patients.”
Omicron COVID-19 variant: No cases in Nigeria, we are monitoring situation, NCDC reveals
Legi.ng reported that the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) has revealed that there are no cases of the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus in the country.
The NCDC also announced that the body with the Federal Ministry of Health is monitoring the situation of the virus.
This was contained in a statement signed by the NCDC Director-General, Ifedayo Adetifa, on Monday, November 29, stating that the variant was first identified after tests were carried out on travellers returning from West Africa.
Source: Legit.ng
