With about 3.8 million people living with diabetes in Nigeria, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) says Nigerian government will have to subsidise diabetes treatment and remove tariffs on import of anti-diabetic drugs to halt the scourge. Globally, 387 million have diabetes and this is expected to rise to 600 million by 2035 with Nigeria leading the table in the African region according IDF 2015 diabetes figures released yesterday to mark this year’s World Diabetes Day.According to Sonny, who is also a consultant endocrinologist at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, the only way Nigeria can remove financial hardship in diabetes care is by subsidising diabetes treatment. He said “Our National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) provides less than 5 per cent coverage, it is dysfunctional and we need to overhaul it so that Nigerians living with diabetes can have access to health.”
“The DAN has had meetings with corporate organizations who produce diabetes consumables and drugs and they assured us that if the government can remove tariffs on the importation of anti-diabetic drugs, that the price will crash and it will affordable and available to an avenge Nigerian.” “The civil society should form a pressure group to make government do the right thing,” Sonny urged. Meanwhile, pharmaceutical giant, Sanofi has pledge towards helping the Nigerian government at fighting the diabetes scourge through provision of affordable anti-diabetic drugs.
Source:Leadership Online
