• Hausa Edition
  • Podcast
  • Conferences
  • LeVogue Magazine
  • Business News
  • Print Advert Rates
  • Online Advert Rates
  • Contact Us
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
Leadership Newspapers
Read in Hausa
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Health
  • Entertainment
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Football
  • Others
    • LeVogue Magazine
    • Conferences
    • National Economy
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Health
  • Entertainment
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Football
  • Others
    • LeVogue Magazine
    • Conferences
    • National Economy
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
Leadership Newspapers
No Result
View All Result

Breaking Down Barriers To End Nigeria’s Hepatitis Crisis

by Leadership News
4 weeks ago
in Editorial
health
Share on WhatsAppShare on FacebookShare on XTelegram

As Nigeria joined the global community to commemorate World Hepatitis Day recently with the theme “Hepatitis: Let’s Break It Down,” the reality confronting the nation could not be more urgent. With over 20 million Nigerians living with Hepatitis B and C—18.2 million affected by Hepatitis B and 2.5 million by Hepatitis C—Nigeria carries the unwelcome distinction of having the third-highest hepatitis burden globally.

Advertisement

In the considered opinion of this newspaper,this is a national emergency that demands immediate, comprehensive action.

The theme for this year’s commemoration calls for dismantling the financial, social, and systemic barriers that prevent millions from accessing life-saving care. Yet, as the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare , Ali Pate outlined the government’s ambitious plans, including the launch of “Project 365” and the establishment of a Viral Elimination Fund, one fundamental question emerges: Will this administration finally translate promises into tangible results where previous governments have failed?

The numbers paint a devastating picture of institutional neglect and systemic failure. Over 8.1% of Nigeria’s population is infected with Hepatitis B, yet more than 90% of those infected remain undiagnosed.

These individuals unknowingly transmit the virus to others, including innocent children, perpetuating a cycle of infection that has persisted for decades.

RELATED

Fire Destroys 10 Shops In Adamawa

That Massacre In Katsina Mosque

22 hours ago
EFCC Arrests Accountant Over New Naira Notes Racketeering

EFCC Deserves Praise, Not Litigation

2 days ago
ADVERTISEMENT

The tragedy is compounded by frequent misdiagnosis, with symptoms such as fever, fatigue, and malaise routinely treated as malaria while the virus silently destroys liver function, potentially progressing to liver failure or cancer.

The human cost is staggering: 4,252 Nigerians die annually from liver cancer caused by untreated hepatitis. Behind each statistic is a family devastated, a breadwinner lost, and a community weakened.
The economic implications are equally catastrophic, with Nigeria losing between ₦13.3 trillion and ₦17.9 trillion annually in direct and indirect costs. This represents resources that could have been channeled into national development, education, infrastructure, and poverty alleviation.

What makes this crisis particularly inexcusable is that both Hepatitis B and C are preventable, treatable, and in the case of Hepatitis C, completely curable. The vaccines exist. The treatments work. The diagnostic tools are available. Yet Nigeria continues to lag behind in implementation, allowing a preventable epidemic to ravage its population while countries with far fewer resources make significant strides in hepatitis elimination.

ADVERTISEMENT

The government’s announcement of “Project 365” represents the latest in a series of well-intentioned initiatives.

However, given Nigeria’s track record of launching programs with great fanfare only to see them falter due to poor implementation, inadequate funding, or bureaucratic inefficiency, skepticism is justified.
The establishment of the Viral Elimination Fund and promises of increased budgetary support sound promising, but Nigerians have heard similar commitments before.

In our view, what is needed now is not more rhetoric but demonstrable commitment backed by concrete action. The success of any hepatitis elimination program hinges on several critical factors that the government must address with unprecedented seriousness.

First, healthcare infrastructure at the primary level must be strengthened to ensure that screening and treatment services reach rural and underserved communities where the burden is often highest. Second, healthcare workers require intensive training to improve diagnostic accuracy and reduce the endemic misdiagnosis that allows hepatitis to masquerade as malaria.
Third, public awareness campaigns must be sustained and culturally appropriate, addressing the stigma that prevents many Nigerians from seeking testing and treatment. The silence surrounding hepatitis, often due to misconceptions about transmission and curability, contributes significantly to the spread of infection.
Community leaders, religious organisations, and traditional rulers must be mobilised as partners in this awareness drive.
Fourth, the pharmaceutical supply chain must be reliable and affordable. The government’s emphasis on local manufacturing is commendable, but this must be accompanied by quality assurance measures to ensure that locally produced medications meet international standards.

Tax incentives and regulatory reforms are positive steps, but they must be implemented transparently and monitored rigorously.

The integration of hepatitis services into existing healthcare programs, particularly those targeting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, offers a practical pathway to scaling up interventions.

However, this requires coordination across multiple agencies and levels of government—an area where Nigeria has historically struggled.

State governments cannot be mere spectators in this fight.

Hepatitis affects all regions of the country, and state-level commitment to funding, policy implementation, and service delivery is crucial. The federal government’s initiatives will fail without robust support from state and local government areas.

Furthermore, the National Assembly must fulfill its legislative responsibilities by ensuring adequate budgetary allocations and oversight of program implementation. Too often, health initiatives suffer from inconsistent funding and poor monitoring, leading to program failures that cost lives.

The private sector, including pharmaceutical companies, diagnostic laboratories, and healthcare providers, must also be genuine partners rather than mere profit-seekers. Corporate social responsibility in health should extend beyond token gestures to meaningful contributions to hepatitis elimination efforts.

Pointedly,the government’s promise to eliminate Hepatitis C and halt Hepatitis B transmission by 2030 is ambitious but achievable—if matched with unwavering political will, adequate resources, and effective implementation. The question is not whether Nigeria has the capacity to win this fight, but whether it has the determination to see it through.


Join Our WhatsApp Channel

Nigerians can now earn US Dollars monthly by acquiring domains cheaply and reselling for profits up to $18,000 (nearly ₦30Million). Beneficiaries include professionals, entrepreneurs, civil servants and more. Click here to start.


Tags: Hepatitis
SendShare10170Tweet6357Share
ADVERTISEMENT
Previous Post

FG, Kwara Offer Free Transportation To pregnant Women In labour

Next Post

Tinubu Cautions Against Online Misinformation

Leadership News

Leadership News

You May Like

Fire Destroys 10 Shops In Adamawa
Editorial

That Massacre In Katsina Mosque

2025/08/26
EFCC Arrests Accountant Over New Naira Notes Racketeering
Editorial

EFCC Deserves Praise, Not Litigation

2025/08/25
Ribadu Leads Delegation To Chad President Deby
Editorial

One Celebration Too Early

2025/08/24
33.3% Nigerians, Ghanaians Risk Developing Kidney Disease — Study
Editorial

Beyond The Subsidy On Kidney Dialysis

2025/08/23
BREAKING: Federal Gov’t Reverses 18-yr Entry Age For Varsity Education
Editorial

Embargo On New Tertiary Institutions

2025/08/22
Tackling Poverty And Insecurity
Editorial

Tackling Poverty And Insecurity

2025/08/21
Leadership Conference advertisement

LATEST

Kwara: Kidnap Victims Escape As Security Forces Raid Criminals’ Hideouts

JUST-IN: Osun Gov’t May Sack Monarch Jailed In US For $4.2m COVID-19 Fraud

Tinubu Celebrates Senator Ekpenyong At 40

Fresh FM Inferno: Ayefele Responds To ‘No Insurance’ Claims

Court Orders Banks To Produce Activist Sowore’s Account Transactions

Reps To Probe UNIBEN Teaching Hospital’s Budgetary Expenditures

C’Wealth Weightlifting: Omolola Wins Team Nigeria’s First Gold In India

JUST-IN: NRC Suspends Abuja-Kaduna Train Services After Derailment

Fire Razes 5 House In Cross River Community

Bode George Hails PDP Zoning, Says Party Ended ‘Existential Imbecility’

© 2025 Leadership Media Group - All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Health
  • Entertainment
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Football
  • Others
    • LeVogue Magazine
    • Conferences
    • National Economy
  • Contact Us

© 2025 Leadership Media Group - All Rights Reserved.