Gatefield Nigeria Limited's health communications specialist, Omei Bongos, said more than 16,000 Nigerians have signed a petition urging the government to subsidize diabetes treatment.
Ms Bongos told reporters in Abuja on Wednesday that the petition was to appeal to the Nigerian government to allocate revenue from taxes on sugary drinks to subsidise disease treatment for vulnerable citizens.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Gatefield is a team of consultants who employ a combination of strategy, advocacy and storytelling to drive policies and behaviours aimed at helping people lead better lives.
Ms Bongos said the initiative was part of a broader campaign by the National Action Coalition for Sugar Reduction (NASR) for a call to action, which emerged from a weekend of community mobilisation by youth advocates.
She explained that the advocates visited homes in four states of Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, Enugu and Abuja, to raise awareness about the health risks of excessive consumption of sugary drinks.
“The initiative is part of a broader NASR campaign to use pro-health fiscal policies to address the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Nigeria,” he said.
“The petitioners urge the government to allocate funds from the existing N10 per litre levy on non-alcoholic, carbonated and sugary drinks introduced in 2021 to the prevention and control of type 2 diabetes.
Article page with promotion of financial support
“This initiative is in line with WHO recommendations, which advocate taxes on sugary drinks to reduce consumption and curb the rise of chronic diseases linked to high sugar intake, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and cancer.”
DM cases on the rise in Nigeria
The health communications specialist said Nigeria currently has the highest prevalence of diabetes in Africa, with an estimated 11.2 million people living with the disease.
He added that “unfortunately, many of these patients, particularly those from low-income backgrounds, have difficulty accessing the necessary treatment.”
She said: “This often leads to medications being skipped and unsuitable alternatives being used, increasing the risk of serious complications such as amputation and kidney failure.
“In Kaduna, a woman shared her story of despair, revealing that she had to change her diabetes medication without consulting her doctor because she could not afford the prescribed dosage.
“We, diabetic patients, even those with hypertension, want the government to help us.”
The project coordinator speaks
Lagos project coordinator George Adjete recounted some of the stories he learned during the mobilization efforts.
She said: “I met a mother whose son suffers from a disease related to excessive consumption of sugary drinks.
“She (the mother) spent a lot of money on medical bills. I also spoke to a young man whose parents live with diabetes. Their stories were pathetic.”
Mr Adjete expressed concern about the high cost of treatment and the strain it puts on family finances.
These stories, he said, underscore the critical need for government action.