02/10/2026
Few days ago, filmmaker TG Omori, a two time kidney transplant patient who is currently surviving on dialysis, shared his experience on the cost of his treatment since his diagnosis, and many comments under the post were discouraging. Some said he hasn't allowed them to rest since the onset of his disease, as he usually discusses it, while some said he should move on already.
The truth is, until you walk in his shoes or take care of a loved one with kidney failure, you may actually not know how financially demanding, psychologically and emotionally draining the disease is.
Working in a dialysis unit for 12 years has exposed me to the struggles of these patients. Sometimes, patients sell all their properties just to stay alive, and in many situations, these patients still have little children depending on them for survival. It can be emotional to see people going through such struggles, especially with how the economy in Nigeria is dealing with us.
On average, right now in Nigeria, a patient spends ₦150,000 weekly on dialysis, which amounts to ₦600,000 in a month. This excludes the blood booster injections (ESAs), laboratory investigations, medications and consultations.
What can be done?
Firstly, I want to appreciate His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for his brilliant decision to subsidize hemodialysis by 80%, but this hasn't been effective. The implementation of this subsidy isn't accessible to patients. Many centres that are selected for the subsidy hardly have functional hemodialysis machines for the therapy, making the initiative an unrealistic relief for the patients financial burden.
Secondly, I want to suggest an increase in the number of dialysis sessions covered by health insurance in Nigeria. Increasing it from the current six sessions to 36 sessions, as initially promised by the past administration, would help relieve the financial struggle of these patients. With this, the initiative would become more accessible to renal patients.
Thirdly, we can begin to explore peritoneal dialysis, as this option is quite cheaper than hemodialysis.
Finally, philanthropists and organizations are encouraged to help these patients in need. Many hav
