-SOJI GBELEKALE

DIABETES IS A ONE of the most dreaded diseases in the present world. It is associated with the blood sugar level in the body, as too much of sugar intake can cost the life of a person living with diabetes. This disease has created anxiety in many people living with it because of the manner with which it takes life untimely and unnoticed.

Dr Andrew Femi Bella OON, a renowned diabetes specialist and the founder of Martina Ebun Bella Memorial Hospital, gave a public lecture to allay the fear of the people living with diabetes at the Hospital premises in Akobo Estate, Ibadan on 8 September.

The lecture, marked the silver jubilee of founding the hospital, identified the major causes of diabetes as hereditary, inactivity (lack of exercise), unhealthy lifestyle, and excessive eating habits, among others. He urged the people living with diabetes to avoid too much eating and give themselves to frequent exercise so as to expend the intake calories that inevitably turns into sugar. He also prescribed the diet time-table for the people to enable them monitor their blood sugar level. Acording to him, people living with diabetes can live as long as God wishes them to live if they watch what they eat at every given time. He added that many who die of diabetes abruptly lived carefree life as many of such deaths could be traced to be self-inflicted.

To mark the 25 years of existence of the hospital’s commitment to the service and care of diabetes in Nigeria, Dr Bella presented an educative and informative book to the public entitled: Understanding Diabetes Types 2. The book contains the basic information that a diabetic patient should know. It is also useful for everyone to have knowledge on the prevention of diabetes.

He urged people living with diabetes to be prayerful because everything is in the hand of God. However, they should not take their health unserious by neglecting their medication as regular intake of it does not have any side effect.

Responding to the lecture and the gesture of Dr Bella, many of the patients who have been with the hospital for over twenty years and those whose came from far reach of the country like Warri and others appreciated the efforts of the physician by giving them hope even when they had lost hope of being alive. They prayed that may the hospital grow from strength to strength in its care for diabetic people in Nigeria.

After the lecture was free medical tests for all who were present.