Concerns rise as diabetes cases soar across Nigeria

‎Health experts in Nigeria have raised alarms over the increase in diabetes cases nationwide, warning that the skyrocketing cost of essential drugs like insulin is making life-saving treatment unaffordable for millions.
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‎This comes as the World Health Organization reports a global quadrupling of diabetes cases in the last three decades.
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‎Once considered a disease of the wealthy, diabetes is now widespread among all age groups and socioeconomic classes across both rural and urban Nigeria.
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‎Professor Zubairu Ilyasu of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital revealed that over 11 million Nigerians live with diabetes, many undiagnosed.
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‎The International Diabetes Federation estimates nearly six percent of adults have the condition, but experts believe actual numbers are higher due to insufficient health surveillance.
‎Doctors, including Dr. Olufemi Fasanmade of Lagos University Teaching Hospital, note the troubling trend of younger patients developing severe complications earlier than expected, driven by lifestyle shifts, urbanisation, and poor diets.
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‎The 2024 WHO Global Diabetes Report estimates over 800 million people worldwide have diabetes, with nearly half untreated, Nigeria being highly vulnerable amid rising diagnosis rates. Despite growing awareness, treatment remains out of reach for many Nigerians due to the steep price of medication. Insulin vials can cost between N7,000 and N12,000 each, requiring multiple doses monthly, creating a prohibitive financial burden in a country where the minimum wage scarcely covers basic needs.
‎Newer drugs like GLP-1 receptor agonists sell for over N80,000 per month, accessible only by the wealthy.
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‎Dr. Aisha Kareem, a Lagos-based diabetologist, recounts stories of patients forced to ration insulin or abandon treatment due to cost, often returning with severe complications such as kidney failure or diabetic coma.
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‎She explained the compounding impact of weakened local pharmaceutical production and imported drug costs inflated by currency depreciation, tariffs, and multiple markups.
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‎Former Nigerian Medical Association president Dr. Francis Faduyile warned that diabetes could soon surpass infectious diseases as a leading cause of death without urgent action.
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‎Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) criticized the price gaps, noting that newer diabetes drugs sometimes retail at 400 times their production cost. MSF called on governments to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable to ensure equitable access and denounced monopoly pricing that denies millions of essential medicines.
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‎Experts urge government intervention including targeted subsidies for insulin and diabetes medications, improved regulatory oversight by NAFDAC and the Health Ministry, and stronger health insurance coverage prioritising chronic diseases.
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‎Dr. Kareem advocates for local insulin production to reduce costs by up to 40 percent and warns of the dire consequences if ignored.