Many Nigerians are lamenting the outrageous cost of seeking medical treatments whenever they fall ill, adding that prices of life-saving drugs have continued to soar.
Several people are now forced to take a risk with their health by shunning hospitals for proper medical examinations when they battle health challenges while others who struggled to see physicians now extend or miss doses, settle for less potent substitutes of drugs, resort to self-medication or traditional healers, or stop medication entirely.
For those battling chronic ailments such as diabetes, high blood pressure or cancer, the affordability crisis has pushed essential medications and treatment out of reach for many Nigerians and strained the public healthcare system.
Experts are worried that a significant number of patients who are not taking their medications as prescribed, stand to develop complications and incur even more expensive interventions later.
With hospital care gradually becoming financially out of reach, Nigerians are turning to cheaper but largely untested options such as home remedies, herbal medicines, among others.
Even though the Federal Government assented to the 2014 National Health Bill aimed at providing increased access to basic health care for the vulnerable population, the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal, SDG3, and Universal Health Coverage which the nation keyed into are yet to be realised.
This is due to the fact that many Nigerians still pay out of pocket for medical expenses, pushing more families into experiencing burgeoning health expenditures.
Coupled with the worsening economic downtown in the country, the rising cost of medical care has become a source of worry for Nigerians.
Across the country, citizens have been lamenting out-of-pocket spendings on assessment of medical care even in public hospitals that are expected to be affordable.
Most households that fall within the lower income range said they pay for medical care at a rate that is out of their financial capacity.
Findings revealed that despite governments’ funding, public hospitals are becoming expensive.
A patient at the Osun State University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, simply identified as Teniola, explained how he spent over N25, 000 treating malaria.
He said he sought care at the teaching hospital because it is government-owned, adding, “Even when I was not bedridden, I ended up spending over N25, 000 for treating chronic malaria.”
“I feel this is too much for me as an entrepreneur that is surviving to make ends meet. The doctor wrote three different tests for me and those ones cost almost N10, 000. Before then, I had paid to see a doctor and eventually when the tests showed that I had malaria, the drugs prescribed for me cost me over N12, 000,” he explained.
Teniola bemoaned his spending for the treatment and medications, expressing doubts of seeking medical care at hospitals again.
“It was not easy for me to cough out over N25, 000 to just treat malaria. This will affect my financial situation. My only prayer now is to recover fast because I don’t see myself coming to hospital anytime soon no matter what,” the patient lamented.
Other residents complained bitterly of the high cost of medical care and purchasing drugs, calling on governments to intervene and ensure low income earners get adequate care.
Providing reasons for the exorbitant bills charge at hospitals, a social affairs commentator, Bola Bamigbola, said, “There is no how the cost of assessing medical care in the hospital won’t be high because I don’t want to believe that cost of medical equipment is cheap or that maintaining hospital is reducing. Hospital management is not finding it funny with forex and the costs of medical consumables are rising on a daily basis.”
Another citizen, Tunde Adeleke, blamed inflation for the rising costs, urging the government to subsidise healthcare for the masses. “Public hospitals are very expensive to assess medical care nowadays. Due to inflation, I know there is no way it wouldn’t be costly but the government can always intervene to ensure that low income earners benefit from adequate care,” he said.
For Adeolu Adeyemo, a media practitioner in Osun State, “Public hospitals’ bills are becoming very expensive. Sincerely, the right word to be used is extortion because they are milking the poor dry. Everybody has this belief that any available opportunity is for hospitals to make money from them whenever they present themselves for treatment.”
Meanwhile, the Osun State Government said it is running free health care services in primary and secondary facilities.
The Special Adviser to Governor Ademola Adeleke on Health, Akindele Adekunle, said, “As far as the government is concerned, there are treatments in primary and secondary hospitals that are free, including drug, consultation and medications.”
Notwithstanding, Nigerians urged the government at all levels to ensure affordable access to adequate medical services in public hospitals and make drug prices affordable.