The increasing number of amputations for a developing country like Fiji has become a concern for medical practitioners.

Fiji National University’s Surgical Professor Eddie McCaig says it is sad to see that we Fijians are losing our loved ones to diabetes which is the reason for amputation.

He says every twelve hours one person is amputated which includes people in the age range of 20’s and 30’s as well.

“I don’t want to cut off one leg every twelve hours but that’s what we do. We cut off legs not because we want to but because people come in late and all too often it’s the blame game, it’s the Ministry of Health’s fault, they are not giving enough drugs, it’s the patients fault, they don’t take their drugs, its patients fault who come in late. We have to stop the blame game because it’s everyone’s fault because we are losing.”

He says sixty percent of the population is diabetic and out of the sixty percent sixteen percent are elderly.