President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a drastic reduction in the cost of kidney dialysis across federal hospitals in Nigeria, slashing the price from ₦50,000 to ₦12,000 per session.
The announcement was made on Tuesday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information, Daniel Bwala, who described the policy as a lifeline for thousands of Nigerians battling kidney-related illnesses.
According to Bwala, the intervention is part of Tinubu’s commitment to improving access to affordable healthcare and reducing the financial strain on families grappling with chronic kidney disease, which has been on the rise nationwide.
However, the first phase of the subsidy roll-out excludes federal hospitals in several northwestern states, including Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, and Kebbi.
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The omission has sparked concerns, particularly in Jigawa, where health experts say kidney disease prevalence ranks among the highest in the country.
Among the health facilities where the subsidy has already taken effect are Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Ebute-Metta, Lagos, FMC Jabi, Abuja, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan; FMC Owerri, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).
Other hospitals include FMC Abeokuta, FMC Azare, University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), and University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH).
While patients in these hospitals have begun to benefit from the reduced cost, health advocates are calling on the federal government to urgently extend the initiative to the excluded states, warning that failure to do so could worsen regional health inequalities.