by B. Roach
Dr. Brimah Kassim
Nurse Donelda Henry
“Today marks the beginning of a new era, all diabetics on island will continue to receive improved diabetic foot care, thereby reaching the ultimate goal of reducing amputations here in Montserrat,” declared Miss Donelda Henry, a nurse, at the opening ceremony of the launch of a Foot Care Workshop.
The two-day workshop began on November 26, 2013. Miss Henry was the chairperson for the event, but along with Dr. Brimah Kassim, resident surgeon at the Glendon Hospital, both of whom received specialist training in Footcare, were the facilitators for the workshop. Later in the ceremony the nurse would advise that they both delivered a workshop for the Association of persons with disabilities.
Nurse Henry opened the ceremony with a prayer and in very brief remarks, gave graphic statistics in relation to foot problems and diabetes. “Foot complication is among the most serious and costly complications of diabetes – diabetes accounts for 40 to 70% of all lower extremity amputations worldwide,” she opened.
P S Health, Elijah Silcott sent late apologies for his absence to give brief remarks.
Valerie Lewis-Lynch, MDA president
President of the Montserrat Diabetes Asssociation, Mrs. Valerie Lewis-Lynch, who would leave few days later for Australia to attend a Diabetes Convention, gave brief remarks, and she gave even more statistics on the debilitating Diabetes disease. She said the workshop was timely and necessary, informing that in the last five years there were 19 leg amputations with twelve due to diabetes. “There is no doubt that this workshop is necessary and timely…because of the concerns over the number of amputations especially done on people with diabetes,” she said.
The former head nurse gave some facts why foot care is a big issue on the matter of Diabetes. “The International Diabetes Federation recently chose as its theme for World Diabetes day “Diabetes and Foot Care” and the slogan was, “Put Feet First, Prevent Amputation”.
She pointed to some facts. “…that were given at that time: Every thirty seconds a leg is lost to diabetes – they are saying now, it’s every twenty seconds. Another fact – 70% of all leg amputations happen to people with diabetes. The third was, in developed countries up to 5% of people with diabetes have a foot problem. The fourth, foot problems are the most common cause of admissions to hospital for persons with diabetes; The fifth, most amputations begin with a foot; and last but not least, in developing countries it was estimated that foot problems accounted for as much as 40% of available health care resources.”
Dr. Kassim gave an outline of a Step-by-Step program which described an interactive and hands-on training for senior nurses, that he and Miss Henry would conduct. He acknowledged, “the assistance that had been given to us – the Diabetic Association in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and the Government of Montserrat for allowing us to participate in the trainer of trainers course that was held in June 12-16, 2013.
He noted further, “Coming out of that training we have been able to setup what we have – it’s just the beginning because we still have allot of work to do,” pointing out, “this came about…as a result of the figures that Mrs. Lynch just give you, the world was really concerned about the amount of amputations due to diabetic complications.”
Nurse Christine Layne
The programme on the workshop, would include presentations on: Patholgy of the Diabetic; Foot examination; Callus Removal; Patient education; punctuated with several interactive and practical sessions.
There were five (5) objectives for the workshop, which included: The implementation of the step by step project; To establish a local faculty to collaborate with regional and international faculties; Train staff for efficiency and effectiveness; To establish a Diabetic foot clinic; and, To start reporting to the International faculty.
A vote of thanks by Nurse Christine Layne end the opening session of the workshop.
