BANGKOK – Latest data has shown that a campaign over the past 4 years to better train medical staff on handling diabetes patients has reduced foot amputations by 0.5 percent to only 0.1 percent of all patients.
Permanent Secretary for Public Health Dr. Sophon Mekthon revealed at the 4th International Training Session for Podiatry that among complications brought on by diabetes, foot infections are a particularly dangerous side effect that can lead to amputation.
However, he acknowledged that through podiatry training sessions held over the past 4 years, healthcare workers have been upgraded to better deal with the impact of diabetes on the feet of patients. The instance of foot amputations as a result of diabetes has lowered 0.5 percent in the past 4 years to only 0.1 percent of cases. The reduction has had a national level effect of reducing the cost for such surgeries.
