The skyrocketing cost of medicines over the last few months is taking a toll on Nigerians. Findings revealed that many people suffering from minor and common ailments and those who require life-long management of their ailments, such as diabetes, asthma, hypertension are increasingly finding it difficult to meet up with the costs of their prescribed and over-the-counter medicines.
Some brands of popular medicines have also become scarce across many pharmacies, health facilities and retail outlets. As a result, patients have to travel long distances to access them and at very high prices, compared to previous prices.
Daily Trust Saturday reports that the situation is dire for some patients with chronic ailments, such as cancer, heart, kidney and liver diseases as some have to resort to partial treatment or abandon it all together.
Nigeria has been described as Africa’s largest drug market with over 70 per cent of medicines used in the country imported from India, China and other countries.
Experts also said over 70 per cent of payment for health care services in Nigeria is done from out-of-pocket expenditure, meaning that people pay most of their health care bills from their little income.
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This has made it difficult for many, particularly poor Nigerians to access health care, especially with the skyrocketing cost of medicines.
