KARACHI: A new round-the-clock helpline has been launched in Pakistan to help people with diabetes seek timely advice and referral when they develop foot wounds, ulcers, infections or other warning signs — as experts at an international conference warned that delayed treatment is contributing to a huge burden of diabetes-related amputations.
The Baqai Institute of Diabetology and Endocrinology (BIDE) launched the 24/7 diabetic foot helpline, 0330-6666774, during the International Conference on Diabetes & Diabetic Foot 2026, which concluded in Karachi after bringing together Pakistani and international specialists in diabetes, wound care, vascular disease and diabetic-foot management.
The helpline is intended to provide immediate guidance and help patients reach appropriate care before a potentially treatable foot problem progresses into a severe infection or limb-threatening complication.
Nearly 300,000 amputations a year: experts warn of preventable loss
BIDE Director Prof Zahid Miyan said more than three million people in Pakistan are living with diabetes-related foot wounds, while experts at the conference estimated that nearly 300,000 diabetes-related amputations take place annually — equivalent to about 34 every hour.
The figures were presented as an indication of the scale of the diabetic-foot problem rather than a formal national amputation registry.
Prof Miyan said many amputations could potentially be prevented when people receive appropriate advice, referral and treatment before wounds and infections become advanced. The new helpline is intended to address precisely that gap by giving people with diabetes a route to early guidance when they notice changes in their feet.
The warning is particularly important because diabetic foot problems can begin with what appears to be a relatively minor injury.
The small wound that can become a major threat
A cut, blister, swelling or sore may not initially appear serious.
But diabetes can damage nerves and blood vessels, creating conditions in which a person may not feel an injury and may also have impaired healing. Once a wound becomes infected or progresses into a diabetic foot ulcer, treatment can become substantially more difficult.
Conference organising committee chairman Dr Muhammad Saif Ul Haque warned that apparently minor foot wounds in people with diabetes could progress to ulcers, serious infections and eventually amputation when treatment is delayed.
He stressed the importance of patient education, early intervention and coordinated multidisciplinary care to save limbs and potentially lives.
That emphasis on early action was a recurring theme throughout the conference.
Why diabetic foot problems can go unnoticed
Experts highlighted the significant prevalence of diabetic peripheral neuropathy, a complication that can reduce sensation in the feet.
According to data presented at the conference, diabetic peripheral neuropathy affects around 43.2% of Pakistani patients with diabetes, while experts estimated that approximately 18% of people with diabetes develop foot ulcers.
Reduced sensation can mean that a person does not immediately notice a cut, blister, pressure injury or other trauma.
By the time the problem becomes painful or visibly severe, infection may already have developed.
That is why specialists emphasised regular foot checks, early recognition of abnormalities and prompt professional assessment rather than waiting for a wound to worsen.
The danger does not end with amputation
The conference also highlighted the serious consequences associated with diabetic foot disease beyond the loss of a limb.
Vascular specialist Dr Fahad Tariq presented data showing that nearly 30% of patients with diabetic foot ulcers die within five years, with mortality increasing to more than 40% following minor amputation and more than 50% after major amputation.
Experts at the conference further said that around half of Pakistani patients undergoing diabetes-related amputations die within three years and about 70% within five years.
These figures underline why diabetic foot disease is not simply an orthopaedic or wound-care problem.
It can be a marker of severe underlying vascular, metabolic and systemic disease, requiring coordinated management across multiple medical disciplines.
Pakistan to launch first dedicated postgraduate diabetic-foot diploma
The conference also produced another major development aimed at tackling the problem from the healthcare workforce side.
Prof Miyan announced Pakistan's first two-year postgraduate diploma dedicated to diabetic foot care, with the first batch scheduled to begin in January 2027.
The programme is intended to train healthcare professionals in the prevention, early identification and management of diabetic foot disease, with a particular emphasis on reducing avoidable amputations.
Its international faculty is expected to include Prof Frances Game of the United Kingdom, Prof Eric Senneville of France, Prof Roberto Anichini of Italy, Prof Zulfiqar G. Abbas of Tanzania and Dr Salma Khuraibet of Kuwait, alongside Pakistani specialists.
The move addresses another critical part of the problem: early recognition is only useful when healthcare professionals have the skills and systems needed to assess wounds, manage infections, identify vascular problems and refer patients for specialist treatment when necessary.
Experts call for education and training
International diabetic-foot expert Prof Zulfiqar G. Abbas said about 80% of people with diabetes worldwide live in low- and middle-income countries, where resources for managing diabetes and its complications can be limited.
He stressed education and professional training as key tools in reducing preventable amputations.
The conference's scientific programme similarly placed early risk detection, wound care, offloading, vascular and infection control, limb salvage and scalable solutions for lower-resource settings among its major areas of focus.
The underlying message was that preventing amputation is not dependent on a single intervention.
It requires patients to recognise warning signs, primary-care professionals to identify risk early, specialists to intervene when necessary and healthcare systems to provide coordinated follow-up.
AI could change how diabetic foot wounds are monitored
Technology was another major focus of the conference.
Dr Suhail Chughtai presented an AI-enabled digital diabetic foot clinic model in which patients could upload photographs of wounds for artificial intelligence-assisted detection, measurement, risk assessment and monitoring.
The proposed system could help identify wound boundaries, estimate wound area, assess tissue and colour characteristics and compare changes over time, with patients then directed towards appropriate levels of care.
Moderate- and high-risk cases could potentially be referred to diabetologists, podiatrists and wound-care specialists.
The concept is particularly relevant in a country where access to specialised diabetic-foot services can vary significantly.
However, AI-assisted assessment would complement rather than replace professional medical evaluation, particularly for wounds involving infection, reduced blood flow or other potentially limb-threatening complications.
Continuous glucose monitoring adds another layer of prevention
The conference also looked beyond the foot itself to the underlying diabetes management that influences complication risk.
Prof Tariq Waseem highlighted the role of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in improving diabetes management, while Prof Qamar Masood said CGM could improve glycaemic control and patients' awareness of glucose patterns.
Dr Somia Iqtedar emphasised that continuous monitoring can support evidence-based treatment decisions rather than relying on guesswork.
Better diabetes management does not eliminate the risk of diabetic foot disease, but controlling blood glucose and addressing other risk factors are important components of reducing diabetes complications.
Diabetes care needs to address the whole patient
Pakistan Endocrine Society President Dr Ali Asghar called for greater attention to both the physical and mental health dimensions of diabetes.
The wider burden of diabetes was also reflected in comments by Dr Khurram Daniyal, who said Karachi alone now has more than 100 dialysis centres, highlighting the growing burden of diabetes-related kidney disease.
Meanwhile, Dr Urooj Riaz urged diabetologists to spend adequate time listening to their patients.
Together, the messages reflected the conference's central theme: diabetic foot care cannot be separated from comprehensive diabetes management.
From a phone call to limb-saving care
The new helpline is therefore only one part of a much broader effort discussed at the conference.
For someone with diabetes, noticing a new wound, ulcer, infection, swelling or other unusual change in the foot can be the point at which early action becomes critical.
The number launched by BIDE — 0330-6666774 — is intended to provide round-the-clock guidance and referral for such situations.
The goal is not simply to tell patients what to do over the phone.
It is to help them reach appropriate care before a potentially manageable problem becomes a limb-threatening emergency.
The conference brought together specialists including Prof Javed Akram, Prof Najmul Islam, Prof Jameel Ahmed, Prof Zia Ur Rehman, Prof Bashir A. Soomro, Dr Saima Askari, Prof Iftikhar Ali Shah, Dr Zahid Ali Fahim, Prof Kamal Yousuf, Prof Abdul Rasheed, Dr Nouman Al Qamri, Dr Waryam Saleh, Dr Ammar Pirzada, Dr Fahad Memon and Dr Rizwan Khan, among others.
Their discussions pointed to the same central challenge: preventing diabetic foot complications requires action before the wound becomes an amputation.
And with a 24/7 helpline, a new dedicated postgraduate training programme and emerging digital tools now entering the conversation, Pakistan's diabetic-foot response is increasingly shifting its focus from treating advanced complications to early detection, rapid referral and limb preservation.
Stay connected with Medical News Pakistan
CLICK HERE TO JOIN the official Medical News Pakistan WhatsApp Channel for verified global medical breakthroughs, FDA approvals, healthcare innovations, clinical research updates and the latest developments shaping medicine around the world.