By Justina Auta/Folasade Akpan
Patients living with Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in Nigeria have called on the Federal Government to urgently release and implement the 2025 national budget for NCDs to fulfil its Universal Health Coverage (UHC) commitments.
The Patient Advocacy Working Group for NCDs Financing in Nigeria, comprising hypertension patients, civil society organisations and health professional groups, made the call in Abuja during a media conference marking the 2025 UHC Day.
Commemorated globally on Dec. 12, the 2025 theme is: “Unaffordable health costs? We’re sick of it!”
Representing the patient community, Mrs Ijeoma Joseph of the Regima Community Care Foundation, said the government must translate its commitment to health into concrete, life-saving action for people battling chronic illnesses.
“NCDs, including hypertension, diabetes, cancers and chronic respiratory diseases, pose some of the greatest threats to Nigeria’s human capital and economic prosperity.
“NCD patients in Nigeria bear one of the largest shares of public health burdens,” she said.
Joseph said that one-third of Nigerian adults lived with at least one NCD, yet fewer than 20 per cent had access to diagnosis and treatment.
She said the reality contradicted national targets outlined in the 2019–2025 multisectoral plan, which aimed to expand diagnosis and treatment coverage to 80 per cent and reduce NCD-related mortality by 25 per cent.
“Yet, only six per cent of the already insufficient health budget is allocated to NCDs,” she added.
The Vice President of the Nigeria Cancer Society, Dr Chi-Kadibia Ukoma, said nearly none of the activities budgeted for NCDs in 2025 had been executed.
“These activities include constructing cancer centres, establishing eye clinics, conducting medical outreaches for hypertension and diabetes screening and treatment, and training health workers,” he said.
Ukoma said the situation undermined the spirit of UHC, noting that universal coverage was rooted in addressing the social factors that affected health.
He explained that poor health education, low household incomes, lack of access to early screening and the high cost of medicines, exacerbated by economic pressures, had increased the burden of chronic diseases among Nigerians.
“Patients have been on the sidelines for too long as policies and budget decisions are made on their behalf, but the era of silence is over,” he said.
The General Secretary of the Health Sector Reform Coalition, Dr Ndaeyo Iwot, said it was time to convert political will into sustainable financing for prevention, early diagnosis and treatment.
He urged the government to prioritise and safeguard NCD funding, noting that allocations were meaningless without release of funds to implementing agencies.
“The Federal Government should swiftly release all NCD budget lines in the 2025 budget to enable prompt implementation by the relevant agencies.
“Persistent low budget performance must end immediately to ramp up diagnosis and treatment services,” he said.
Iwot also urged both the Executive and the National Assembly to ring-fence the Sugar-Sweetened Beverage (SSB) tax for specialised NCD interventions.
“We commend the Senate and the Coordinating Minister of Health, Prof. Muhammad Pate, for supporting an increase from the token N10 per litre to a more effective rate such as N130 per litre, or at least 20 per cent of the retail price.
“At least 40 per cent of SSB tax revenue should be dedicated to NCD prevention and control, including essential medicines, diagnostics and service delivery,” he said.
On strengthening NCD care within UHC efforts, Iwot noted that high out-of-pocket spending was forcing millions to delay or abandon treatment for life-threatening conditions.
He said the National Health Insurance Authority and the Basic Health Care Provision Fund must urgently scale up the inclusion of NCD screening, diagnostics and treatment in their benefit packages.
“Half of adults with diabetes remain undiagnosed, and only one in five individuals with hypertension has their condition under control,” he said.
Mrs Maimurna Barau, Founder of the Maimurna Hope Foundation for Cancer and Ostomy Care, stressed the importance of investing in Primary Health Care (PHC) to achieve UHC.
She said PHC facilities must be adequately equipped and staffed to deliver basic NCD prevention and management, which accounted for up to 90 per cent of essential UHC interventions.
The group expressed readiness to collaborate with government at all levels to realise the country’s UHC aspirations for NCD patients.
It called on President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to demonstrate decisive leadership by increasing NCD funding and establishing a dedicated hypertension budget line.
It also urged the government to mandate earmarked SSB tax revenue and ensure comprehensive integration of NCD services into the UHC framework.
“The health and future of 230 million Nigerians depend on the decisions made today,” the group said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Abiemwense Moru
