By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Reporter
KIDNEY PATIENTS across Nigeria will now pay significantly less for life-saving dialysis treatment as President Bola Tinubu has approved an 80% subsidy, slashing costs from N50,000 to N12,000 per session.
The initiative aims to ease the financial burden on patients struggling with renal failure.
The subsidy has been rolled out at federal medical institutions across the country’s six geopolitical zones.
Participating hospitals include the Federal Medical Centres (FMC) in Ebute-Metta, Jabi, Owerri, Abeokuta, and Azare, as well as University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH),
University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), and University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH). The programme was first introduced in January at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital in Bauchi.
Hammatu Haruna, the renal centre manager at the Bauchi facility, highlighted the positive impact of the subsidy.
“Patients are now paying only N12,000 per session, and they are extremely grateful. Before this, many had to sell possessions or forgo treatment entirely because they couldn’t afford it,” she said.
Haruna also confirmed that since its launch on January 8, at least 35 patients have benefited from the programme.
The Federal Ministry of Health has provided essential equipment, including dialysis machines and over 900 dialysers, to sustain the scheme.
She said the move comes amid growing concerns over the rising cases of kidney failure in Nigeria.
In February, the Yobe State Government announced an investigation into the surge in cases within the state.
A team of 50 health experts, including nephrologists, laboratory scientists, geologists, and toxicologists, has been deployed to determine possible environmental, genetic, or lifestyle-related causes.
The research will involve interviews with 2,000 residents across Bade and Damaturu Local Government Areas.
