Nigerians spend more to treat malaria as prices of drugs rise

Malaria, known by researchers as the ‘forgotten illness’, is an endemic disease in Africa and claims the lives of thousands every year.

Mostly inhabiting pools of stagnant water, the mosquito-borne parasitic disease is transmitted through a bite on humans and threatens life, particularly children and pregnant women.

Although significant efforts are currently being made to produce a vaccine – that will provide immunity against it – the cost burden for its management and treatment is growing and requires urgent attention.

Additionally, several prevention and treatment methods such as insecticide-treated bed nets and medications have been adopted to reduce its transmission and health consequences.

However, these interventions, especially the use of drugs, are going out of reach to the poor because the medications are no longer pocket friendly as the prices keep rising over the last year.

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As a result, many families find it difficult to afford it or access a clinic, thus, pushing people to seek an alternative in a locally made liquor of many compositions, popularly known as “agbo”.

With the price gouging of drugs, substandard drugs may enter the local market, leading to a reduction in its efficacy and making it difficult to treat malaria.

BusinessDay’s survey in Benin City revealed that the prices of the commonly used medicines for treating malaria including a packet of Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT) such as Lonart Double Strength (DS)and Coartem ranges from N1,300 to N1,500 and N1,500 to N1,800 as against N1,000 and N1,400, respectively, sold a year ago.

Prices of other essential medicines such as a cup of Vitamin C has increased from N200 to N400, while Astymin multivitamin syrup is now sold between N1,600-,1,800 as against the previous amount.

Tony Aguebor, a resident in Edo State lamented the exorbitant cost of food items and anti-malaria medications which according to him were hitherto cheaper but no longer affordable to the average Nigerian. He urged the government to keep it in check.

Edeki Daniel, a pharmacist said the medications are key to treating malaria considering the rainy season where the disease vector thrives.

He identified regulation as a problem affecting the prices, saying that the distribution chain of moving drugs from the manufacturers to the consumers has always been chaotic hence the variation in prices of the drugs.

According to him, regulation should start from distribution as it will go a long way to make the prices uniform.

Daniel urged Nigerians not fully rely on herbal concoctions because it hasn’t been scientifically proven to produce the desired result.

He said, “As a matter of fact, herbal drugs are complementary alternative medicines but nothing significant has been done to improve on these concoctions.

A medical practitioner, who craved anonymity, suggested that government at all levels must continue to provide quality and affordable drugs in public health facilities so that the people would have access to it instead of spending huge sums of money to buy drugs in a private pharmacy.

According to him, in the absence of affordable drugs, people will opt for self-medication and prepare several herbal concoctions for survival which is dangerous to their body system.