Rationing Life: How Rising Costs Are Killing Diabetics In Nigeria
A Silent Disease Turns Lethal
DIABETES has quietly become one of Nigeria’s most dangerous health emergencies. Once considered manageable with consistent medication and lifestyle control, the disease is now claiming between 30,000 and 40,000 lives annually. A combination of soaring drug prices, weak government intervention, cultural misconceptions, and poor access to care has transformed diabetes into a growing death threat.
Nigeria currently ranks among the countries with the highest diabetes-related mortality globally. With more than 11.4 million Nigerians living with the condition, diabetes sits firmly among the nation’s top 10 killer diseases. Yet, stakeholders say the scale of the crisis is not reflected in public health priorities or funding.
Patients Forced to Choose Between Food and Medicine
For many patients, survival now depends on impossible financial choices. In Abuja, Mrs. Leticia Nnabuike, diagnosed eight years ago, says her monthly diabetes management costs have tripled.
“What used to cost about ₦35,000 now takes over ₦120,000 every month,” she explained. Unable to sustain the expense, she now rations her medication, skipping doses based on how she feels rather than medical advice.
Such coping mechanisms are becoming common. Lukman Hassan, a 59-year-old plumber, stopped taking prescribed drugs entirely after prices rose beyond his reach. He now relies on herbal mixtures of bay leaf, moringa, and ginger—unverified remedies that medical experts warn may worsen complications.
A Growing Burden in Poorer Countries
Globally, diabetes is rising fastest in low- and middle-income countries. The World Health Organisation estimates that 589 million adults live with diabetes worldwide, a figure projected to reach 853 million by 2050. In Nigeria, late diagnosis and poor treatment access amplify the danger.
Experts estimate that only about half of Nigerians with diabetes know they have the disease. Of those diagnosed, just a third receive proper treatment, and fewer still achieve adequate blood sugar control.
Medication Costs and Health System Failures
The rising cost of diabetes drugs remains the biggest barrier to care. Despite government tax waivers on pharmaceuticals, over 95 per cent of diabetes medications are imported, leaving prices vulnerable to currency depreciation.
Investigations show dramatic price hikes: common drugs such as metformin, Amaryl, and Galvus Met now cost between three and five times their 2024 prices. For many patients, this has meant abandoning clinics altogether.
According to the Diabetes Association of Nigeria (DAN), these disruptions have led to spikes in preventable complications—stroke, kidney failure, blindness, and amputations. A nationwide study found that nearly four in 10 patients presenting with diabetic foot ulcers lose a limb.
Policy Gaps and Preventable Losses
Medical experts insist diabetes deaths are largely preventable. Poor screening, lack of primary care support, and limited public education continue to undermine control efforts. While the government introduced a sugar-sweetened beverage tax in 2022, it was later suspended amid industry pressure, a move critics say sacrificed public health for economic interests.
Conclusion
Diabetes in Nigeria is no longer a silent disease—it is a loud, deadly crisis. Without urgent intervention to lower drug costs, expand screening, and strengthen primary care, experts warn that diabetes-related deaths will continue to climb, quietly devastating families across the country.
