President Bola Tinubu has approved a subsidy to lower the cost of kidney dialysis for Nigerians, bringing the price down from N50,000 to N12,000 per session.
The initiative is being implemented at federal medical institutions across the six geopolitical zones.
Some of the hospitals providing subsidized dialysis include the Federal Medical Centres in Ebute-Metta, Jabi, Owerri, Abeokuta, and Azare, as well as the University College Hospital in Ibadan, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, and University of Calabar Teaching Hospital.
The programme began in January at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital in Bauchi. Since its launch on January 8, at least 35 patients have benefited.
According to the renal centre manager at the hospital, patients are relieved as they no longer struggle to raise money for treatment.
Many who previously avoided dialysis due to high costs are now able to receive care.
The federal ministry of health has supplied dialysis machines and over 900 dialysers to support the initiative.
The government aims to ensure smooth operations and assist more patients battling kidney disease.
In recent months, kidney failure cases have been on the rise.
In February, the Yobe State government deployed a team of 50 health experts to investigate the increasing number of cases.
The team, made up of specialists in various fields, including nephrology, toxicology, and geology, is conducting interviews with residents in affected areas to determine whether the causes are linked to environmental factors, lifestyle choices, or genetics.
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