As an urgent effort to lower the rising cost of treating non-communicable ailments such as diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases, among others, the Federal government has been urged to abolish import taxes on vital medications towards making them more affordable and accessible to Nigerians.
Making the call in Lagos, the Diabetes Control Media Advocacy Initiative, DICOMAI, urged Federal and state governments to provide free diabetes management to children and the elderly.
In a statement signed by its Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Afoke Isiavwe, and Executive Director, Sam Eferaro, DICOMAI expressed outrage over the current high cost of drugs, which have risen as a result of the removal of fuel subsidies and other policies, urging the federal government to take urgent action to lower the costs of drugs and other medical treatments.
They said, "Many people living with diabetes currently have their lives hanging in the balance as the condition is now more difficult than ever, to control, even as more Nigerians, are getting diabetes complications, leading to non-traumatic lower extremity amputations, extended hospital stays, and occasionally preventable deaths.
"There's, therefore, a need to urgently bring down the cost of drugs for some of these conditions. Unfortunately, over 70 percent of medicines used in the country are imported.
"Nigeria cannot afford to experience this particular health tragedy, especially given our current socioeconomic circumstances and the brain drain we are currently experiencing in the health sector.
"We therefore call on President BolaTinubu to intervene urgently to prevent an avoidable health disaster that could result from the neglect of people living with diabetes and other serious conditions such as cancer, hypertension, asthma among others. "
"An immediate reduction or total removal of import tariff on these essential drugs will no doubt bring some relief to these group of patients," DICOMAI asserted.
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"The situation is even worse for conditions such as cancer and diabetes that have a large majority of drugs and monitoring devices needed for their management imported.
More than 5 million people in Nigeria currently have diabetes, and like elsewhere in the world, the number of cases is rising daily.
Common diabetes problems include diabetic foot ulcers, kidney failure, blindness, etc. brought on by poorly treated diabetes." "According to sources in the pharmaceutical sector, if the government waives import customs and other taxes for the importation of these products, the price of these medications could be dramatically cut by as much as 40 percent. "According to the IDF, Diabetes mellitus is referred to as "one of the largest global health emergencies of the 21st century" due in large part to its serious and fatal implications. "Untreated, the condition, which affects almost all of the body's organs, can lead to lower limb amputations, vision loss, dental issues, kidney failure, and cardiovascular disease. "More concerning is the fact that many Nigerians with diabetes discover their condition only when complications like glaucoma, cataracts, foot ulcers, strokes, etc. have already developed. "It is important to promote diabetes education and better access to routine screenings to aid in early detection. This becomes more crucial as people age or have a family history of the condition.
