Convinced about the need to establish extensive foot care education within the framework of a multi-disciplinary foot care system in the country, these Nigerians in the Diaspora formed a Not-for-profit organisation called: “The International Limb Salvage Foundation,” with primary focus on ensuring the essence of podiatry or podiatric medicine .
This is worsened by the gaps in low level of foot care knowledge among the diabetic patients, over-dependence on self-medication and unorthodox medicine following development of foot ulceration, late hospital presentation, and high amputation and mortality rates, etc. An associate member of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons and Fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Orthopedics and Medicine, Fullwood is a member and national delegate to the American Podiatric Medical Association and President of the Maine Podiatric Medical Association, amongst others.
The doctors confirmed that they have been working with the Kano State government for about a year now and are planning to meet with them in June as well as having a programme starting later in October. “If we all work as a team then the expert in one portion can manage the patient and then refer the patient to another expert who has expertise in the portion.” The doctors remarked that statistics out there shows that diabetes is on the rise in Nigeria.
Adeleke and Fullwood acknowledged that diabetic foot is an epidemic in Nigeria now, spreading from the North all the way through to the South and from cities like Lagos to the most rural parts of the country as well.