LOWER DIR: Experts have warned that protracted diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and high sugar and cholesterol levels increased the risk of developing foot ulcer, which could lead to amputation.

They spoke during a daylong symposium on diabetic foot and ankle at the Timergara district headquarters hospital the other day, where doctors nurses and paramedics from across the district showed up.

Chairman of the Foot and Ankle Forum Pakistan Professor Amanullah Kakar from Bolan Medical College Quetta, Dr Tashfeen Ahmad, Dr Nanik Ram and Dr Rizwan Haroon Rashid from Agha Khan University Karachi, Dr Irfan Mehmood from Lahore General Hospital, Dr Dilbagh Shah from Khyber Teaching Hospital Peshawar, Dr Khalid Sarwar Khan from NHS hospital Ireland, Dr Waqar Alam from Timergara and Syed Mohsin Ali from John Hopkin Aramco Hospital Dammam, Saudi Arabia spoke on the occasion.

They said if an infection didn’t get better with treatment, the toe, foot or part of the leg needed to be removed by surgery to prevent the infection from spreading, and to save life.

The experts said when patients checked feet every day, they could detect problems early for treatment to reduce the risk of amputation.

ELECTED: The joint candidate of the Peoples Lawyers Forum, Malgari Wakilan, Insaf Lawyers, Muslim Lawyers and Jamiat Lawyers Forum, Tariq Khan, was elected the president of the district bar association by bagging 81 votes.

His rival, Kifayat Yar Bukhari of the Islamic Lawyers Forum, polled 79 votes.

The Islamic Lawyers Forum rejected the results saying three votes were controversial. It announced it would challenge those votes in the provincial bar council. Advocate Asfandiar performed as the election commissioner.

All positions went to the candidates backed by the alliance of the PPP, PTI, PML-N, JUI-F and ANP.

Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2022