Since the exit of the pharmaceutical giants from the Nigeria the price of inhalers for asthma like Seretide and Ventolin have hit the roof. Investigations reveal that Seretide currently sells for up to N50,000 in some pharmacies.
An online listing for the inhaler even listed it’s price as N70,000 in a country where the minimum monthly wage is N30,000. How would a worker earning N30,000 afford this inhaler for asthma if it isn’t subsidized?
Asthma is a respiratory illness that can lead to medical emergency in a very short while if an inhaler isn’t around for the patient to use.
The economy in Nigeria is in difficult straits. There’s a lot of unemployment and underemployment. Many people earn below N50,000 per month.
One can imagine how difficult it would be for such a person to afford an asthma medication like Seretide. They have other essential needs, such as food which they have to spend on which could suffer. We know that lack of food itself can lead to health complications over time.
This is where the government has to come in. There’s a need for the government to subsidize inhalers for asthma and indeed other critically needed medical products.
But an issue as medical treatment must always be affordable. The right to health is a very basic right that should not be trifled with. And if medications become to expensive for millions of Nigerians, it’s not a good thing at all!
There are not enough affordable ambulances in the country to quickly drive the sick to hospitals. So the sick need affordable prescription and over-the-counter medicines to prevent medical emergencies from occuring in the first place.
Government also needs to urgently sit down with the pharmaceutical companies and find out their most urgent needs. This could slow down the rising trend of them divesting from the country.