Doctors, patients and health advocates gathered in Lagos last week to confront a condition many Nigerians have never heard of but which quietly costs thousands their limbs each year: Peripheral Arterial Disease.

The Doctors’ Forum, held at the Civic Centre in Victoria Island, formed part of Iwosan Lagoon Hospitals’ 40th anniversary programme. Themed “Endovascular Management of Peripheral Arterial Disease: Saving Limbs & Lives,” the Continuing Medical Education-accredited session drew cardiologists, vascular surgeons, endocrinologists and general practitioners alongside patients and their advocates, all focused on one goal; catching PAD early enough to prevent amputation.

PAD occurs when arteries supplying blood to the limbs become narrowed or blocked, usually by fatty deposits. Left undiagnosed, it can progress silently for years before culminating in gangrene and the loss of a foot or leg. Yet as Prof. Olurotimi Badero, Clinical Head and Director of the Interventional Cardiology Programme at Iwosan Lagoon Hospitals, told the gathering, the disease remains badly under-recognised in Nigeria despite being both detectable and, increasingly, treatable without major surgery.

Badero said endovascular techniques minimally invasive procedures performed through the blood vessels rather than open surgery now allow doctors to restore blood flow and save limbs that would once have been lost to delayed diagnosis.

“Peripheral Arterial Disease costs Nigerians limbs and lives that modern endovascular techniques can save,” he said. “When global expertise is intentionally applied within Nigeria and shared openly with our colleagues, we will begin to see real, measurable change: fewer amputations, better outcomes and a stronger generation of local specialists.”

Dr Ayobami Kuyoro, Managing Director of the hospital’s Victoria Island branch, said the forum was designed to sharpen clinical knowledge and encourage closer collaboration between specialists treating vascular disease. He linked the initiative to the hospital’s broader mission of keeping advanced treatment within Nigeria’s borders, rather than seeing patients seek it abroad.

“For 40 years, our purpose has remained the same: to provide consistently patient-first, world-class care here in Nigeria,” Kuyoro said. “By bringing healthcare professionals together to focus on limb-saving vascular care, we are not only treating disease but also improving standards across the health sector and giving Nigerians confidence that advanced care is available at home.”

The  hospital’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Bisi Oyeniran placed the forum within the wider story of an institution now marking four decades of operation. Founded in 1986, Iwosan Lagoon Hospitals became the first hospital in sub-Saharan Africa to earn the Joint Commission International Gold Seal of Approval, in 2011 a benchmark of international healthcare standards and has since carried out a number of landmark cardiac and vascular procedures led entirely by Nigerian resident specialists.

Oyeniran said the Doctors’ Forum would run as a series throughout the anniversary year, giving practitioners a recurring platform for professional development and shared learning.

Sessions on the day covered the early detection of PAD, current endovascular treatment methods, limb-salvage procedures, the management of complex vascular cases requiring input from multiple specialists, and newer innovations shaping the field. Participants earned CME points for attending.