…as average patient spends over #100,000 monthly
Benard Enyia, National Coordinator of the Persons Living With Diabetes in Nigeria, has raised the alarm over price surge of insulin and other medications being used by diabetes patients to treat the medical conditions due to increasing foreign exchange rates as against the local currency – naira.
According to him, Nigerians with diabetes are struggling to afford insulin due to weekly price hike. “This situation has forced many to turn to cheaper alternatives like traditional herbs, rationing of doses or to forgo medications completely”, he said.
He lamented that “insulin that used to sell for #4000 two years ago, is now selling at #25, 000. Those of us who consume three bottles in a month, spend not less than #75, 000, similarly the insulin syringe that used to sell for #50 naira is now selling for #600 naira and the two are used per day, making a total of #12, 000, and when you multiply this by 30 days, you spend #36, 000.
“It has become obvious that an average diabetes patient spends over N100,000 monthly on injection which is above the 70,000 minimum wage.
He also lamented that the Cross River State situations for over a decade, shows that Government had prioritised communicable diseases at the expense of non-communicable diseases.
He said it was evident in the absence of non-budgetary provision on this ravaging health epidemic, which he said, was sufficed to say “that there is no reliable data on morbidity and mortality of diabetes.”
