ESPE Abstracts

Background: With the inception of the Paediatric endocrinology training centre for Africa and West Africa a decade ago, several endocrinologists have been trained and are practicing in various part of Africa and Nigeria. The services and challenges faced are articulated in this survey.

Objective and hypothesis: To determine the service delivery and challenges faced by paediatric endocrinology units in Nigeria.

Method: A self-administered structured questionnaire survey was given to paediatric endocrinologists practicing in Nigeria during the annual Paediatric endocrinology meeting and also emailed to those who could not attend between November 2017 and February 2018. Questionnaire contained practice setting, patient strengths, equipment availability, drug availability and research capabilities.

Results: There are 37 paediatric endocrinologists practicing in Nigeria and 10 paediatric endocrinology units completed and returned the survey. Most units had standard inexpensive equipment and tools for testing and managing endocrine conditions, but some equipment had to be outsourced and these were expensive. Diabetes remained the commonest condition and most children are still using mixtard insulin. No center could do iodine uptake studies but drugs for thyroid disorders are readily available. Research capabilities are still rudimentary but basic clinical audit and collaborative studies are being undertaken in various units.

Conclusion: While so much has been achieved in improving the services for paediatric endocrinology in Nigeria, it is like a flash in the pan considering the population of children that need to be covered.