Tinubu Approves 80% Subsidy Per Session For Kidney Dialysis

President Bola Tinubu has sanctioned a subsidy for kidney dialysis services in Nigeria, significantly lowering the cost from ₦50,000 to ₦12,000 for patients.

This initiative is being rolled out across all six geopolitical zones within select federal medical facilities.

The institutions involved include the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Ebute-Metta, Lagos; the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Jabi, Abuja; the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan; the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Owerri; and the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) in Maiduguri.

Additionally, the program encompasses the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Abeokuta, the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) in Lagos, the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Azare, the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) in Benin, and the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) in Calabar.

This subsidy initiative was first introduced in January at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital in Bauchi.

The manager of the renal centre at the teaching hospital, Hammatu Haruna, reported that patients have expressed their satisfaction with the subsidy.

“They are paying only ₦12,000, and our patients are very happy with this initiative, and we have seen improvement, remarkably in patients’ condition,” she said.

“Patients used to find it difficult to afford it; even if you tell them the amount, they have to go back and sell something before they can afford to come for dialysis. Some even prefer to stay at home since they cannot afford it.”

She said 35 patients have benefitted from the scheme since it was launched on January 8 this year, adding that the federal ministry of health has provided adequate resources to ensure the success of the programme.

“We appreciate the federal government of Nigeria; they gave us one dialysis machine; they gave us over 900 dialysers. We have almost everything at hand,” she added.

Several cases of kidney failure have recently been reported in the news.

In February, the Yobe government said it had deployed 50 health experts to investigate the root causes of the spike in kidney failure cases in some parts of the state.

The Director of the Biomedical Science Research and Training Centre at the Yobe State University, Mahmud Maina, said team comprises 50 experts, which include neurology consultants, laboratory scientists, nephrologists, geologists, chemists, echo toxicologists, and collaborators from the UK, US, and Ghana.

Maina said the team would conduct interviews with 2,000 people in Bade and Damaturu LGAs to determine whether the causes are environmental, lifestyle-related, or genetic.