Health Ministry warns over late diabetic foot care

Fiji’s Ministry of Health and Medical Services warned that patients with severe diabetic foot infections are often arriving at health facilities too late, reducing the chances of saving affected limbs and increasing the likelihood of amputation. The Ministry emphasized that amputation is treated as a last resort, used only after reasonable limb-saving options have been exhausted and when a limb can no longer be safely preserved.

The article explains that late presentation can turn a localized wound into deep infection, tissue death, or life-threatening sepsis. Before recommending amputation, clinicians may use specialized wound care, surgical debridement, targeted antibiotics, management of underlying conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and chronic kidney disease, and procedures to restore blood flow. Lautoka Hospital was identified as having vascular surgical services, including endovascular interventions and surgical bypasses; hyperbaric oxygen therapy may also be considered where appropriate and available.

The public-health importance is straightforward: diabetic foot ulcers, neuropathy, poor circulation, and delayed care are preventable drivers of disability. Because neuropathy can reduce pain sensation, people with diabetes may miss cuts, blisters, or minor injuries until they become serious. The Ministry said it is strengthening early detection through National Diabetic Foot Care Guidelines, clinician screening tools, community awareness, patient education, and routine screening, while urging people with diabetes to attend regular reviews and check their feet daily.