Dr. Temitope Ilori noted that diabetes Mellitus is a disease that affects mostly women and children and as a result the mortality rate has increased in subSahara Africa. According to the commissioner, Osun State government has taken measures to address this problem by partnering with key stakeholders in the health sector and embark on a number of programmes to alleviate the problem of diabetes in the state. She said that government is ready to collaborate with health care givers to improve the health status of the citizens.

Earlier in his Keynote Address titled: "Effective Care for Persons with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: why, what, how?" Dr. Kolawole of Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital disclosed that the purpose of the summit was to fashion out a management protocol in the management of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus. He explained that gestational diabetes is the carbohydrate interference of variable severity first recognised during the present pregnancy. He added that diabetes is a disease of urbanization according to recent research and account for major health challenges in sub-Sahara Africa. This is because majority of sufferers domicile in the city, he said.

According to Dr. Kolawole, some of the reasons for the upsurge of the disease in Nigeria include; population explosion, rapid urbanization, changes in eating habit and lack of exercise. These, he said, leads to maternal complication such as increased risk of hypertensive disorder. In his goodwill message at the occasion, the Vice Chancellor, Prof A.B. Okesina enjoined participants to cultivate good health habits in terms of the food they eat, have proper medical attention at the appropriate time and exercise regularly.