Health experts have sounded a chilling warning that Pakistan is on the verge of becoming a crippled nation with a diabetic losing a limb every 10 seconds due to complications of the disease, and a major amputation taking place every 25 to 30 seconds in the country.
They said around 10 per cent of the country’s diabetics face amputations, mostly because their disease remains undiagnosed or uncontrolled until it causes irreversible damage. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the International Conference on Diabetes and Diabetic Foot 2025 at a local hotel in Karachi on 15-August-2025, renowned physician and President of the Pakistan Society of Internal Medicine Prof Javed Akram said most Pakistani diabetics are diagnosed only after they have already developed severe damage to the blood vessels in their feet, which often leads to minor and major amputations.
“Every third adult Pakistani is diabetic and every second is hypertensive, so nerve damage is extremely common. This results in serious, often permanent damage to the body,” he warned. Prof Akram said 90 per cent of diabetics in Pakistan have uncontrolled blood sugar levels, putting them at high risk of diabetic foot ulcers, amputations, kidney failure, blindness and heart disease. He added that diabetes care is becoming increasingly unaffordable due to rising costs of medicines and insulin, calling for large-scale prevention, awareness and early interventions to stop the surge in amputations.
Sindh Health Secretary Rehan Baloch said diabetes had become a major public health emergency in Pakistan. “We are trying our best to detect diabetes at the primary level before it causes life-threatening complications,” he said, describing the conference as a positive step and urging organisers to submit their recommendations to the health department for implementation.
Director of the Baqai Institute of Diabetology and Endocrinology (BIDE) Prof Zahid Miyan claimed that around 3.5 million Pakistanis were currently at risk of losing a limb due to diabetic foot complications, as the country has 35 to 36 million diabetics, many of them with poorly controlled disease. “Diabetic foot is a preventable tragedy but it is destroying lives and livelihoods across Pakistan,” he said.
Chairman of the Organising Committee Dr Muhammad Saif ul Haque welcomed the participants and said the gathering was a rare opportunity for national and international experts to share knowledge, identify gaps and chart a way forward.
Dean of the Baqai Medical University Prof Jameel Ahmed stressed the importance of training young doctors in diabetic foot care to prevent unnecessary amputations. Guest of Honour Prof Dr Kashif Ikram, pro vice chancellor of Baqai Medical University (BMU), said the conference reflected the country’s growing capacity in specialised diabetes care, while Patron-in-Chief Dr Shoaib Baqai, chancellor of the BMU, urged collaboration between the public and private sectors to expand preventive services to underserved areas.
International experts attending the two-day conference, including the president and president-elect of D-Foot International and specialists from the Middle East, Africa, Europe and the United States, said diabetic foot was one of the leading causes of non-traumatic amputations worldwide but it could largely be prevented through timely diagnosis and proper foot care.
The conference also marked the silver jubilee of the BIDE’s Diploma in Diabetology programme, with more than 200 alumni from across the country honoured with medals and shields for their services in diabetes care.
Published in News Daily on 16-August-2025.