Endocrinologists have urged the Federal Government to subsidise insulin and introduce a dedicated policy to improve access to the life-saving medication for Nigerians living with Type 1 diabetes.
The doctors said the rising cost of insulin was placing a severe financial burden on young people living with the condition, warning that inability to access the medication could have fatal consequences.
The call was made on Wednesday at the sixth Annual Ogun State Youth Diabetes Camp, organised by the Talabi Diabetes Centre in Abeokuta.
The Camp Coordinator of the Talabi Diabetes Centre, Dr Olubiyi Adeshina, explained that Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body’s immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, making affected persons dependent on insulin for survival.
Adeshina warned that prolonged failure to take insulin could cause dangerously high blood sugar levels, leading to coma and death.
He said people living with Type 1 diabetes require insulin injections at least three times daily throughout their lives to keep their blood sugar under control.
“All the days of their lives, at least three times a day, they will need to inject that insulin or else the blood sugar goes excessively high,” he said.
