6m Nigerians At Risk As Diabetes Care Cost Soars

The Diabetes Association of Nigeria (DAN) has raised the alarm over the rising cost of diabetes care in Nigeria, which now poses an existential threat to the over six million Nigerians diagnosed with the condition.

Marking World Diabetes Day on November 14, DAN emphasised the urgent need for affordable treatment options to mitigate the severe physical, mental, and economic impact of diabetes on Nigerians.
The theme of this year’s World Diabetes Day, “Diabetes and Well-being,” highlights the disease’s wide-reaching effects on individuals and communities.

In a statement made available to journalists in Abuja yesterday, the national president of DAN, Dr Ejiofor Ugwu, stressed the importance of ensuring accessible, affordable diabetes care and safeguarding the lives of millions of Nigerians.

Diabetes, a chronic illness marked by high blood glucose levels due to insulin deficiency, affects about 6 to 8 million Nigerians, representing 5.7% of the population. However, two-thirds of these cases remain undiagnosed.

LEADERSHIP reports that with over 30,000 to 40,000 diabetes-related deaths each year in Nigeria, the disease is a leading cause of complications such as stroke, heart disease, kidney damage, and premature death.

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The burden of managing diabetes in Nigeria is exacerbated by poverty, low disease awareness, and limited healthcare resources. Over the past year, prices of essential diabetes medications have surged, with insulin costs increasing from N4,000 to N18,000 per vial—a 400% rise—rendering necessary care inaccessible for many Nigerians.

Consequently, DAN called on the federal government to take urgent measures, including subsidising diabetes medications and consumables to ease patients’ financial burden and reinstating the sugar-sweetened beverage tax, with funds directed towards diabetes prevention and care.

Other measures, it said, include conducting a national survey on non-communicable diseases to provide essential data for healthcare policy-making and eliminating import taxes on diabetes medications and consumables to reduce costs.