By PATRICK ABANG, Calabar –
The National Coordinator, Persons Living With Diabetes, Benard Enyia, has raised the alarm over price surge of insulin and other medications used by diabetes patient.
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 forgo medications completely “
He lamented that insulin that use to sell for N4,000 two years ago now sells N25,000. Those of us who consume three bottles in a month spends not less than N75,000, similarly the insulin syringe that use to sell for #50 naira now sells for #600 naira and two are use per day making a total of #12, 000 and when you times this by 30 days you spends #36, 000.
“It has become obvious that an average diabetes patient spends over N100,000 monthly on injection which is above the N70,000 minimum wage.
He also lamented that the Cross River State situation for over a decade has prioritize communicable disease at the expense of non communicable disease.
He said this is evident in the absence of non budgetary provision on this ravaging health epidemic. “Suffice it to say that there is no reliable data on morbidity and mortality of diabetes”, he said.
