Nigeria has a shortage of functional dialysis centres, with only 12 Federal Government hospitals offering subsidised dialysis services to a population of over 200 million.
The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Osiris Health, Ayoola Oladipupo, disclosed this while speaking with The PUNCH during the company’s free dialysis programme at Lad Hospital, Orita Challenge, Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State, on Tuesday.
Oladipupo urged the Federal Government to expand dialysis centres and improve health insurance coverage for Nigerians living with kidney disease.
He said, “For example, the subsidised programme was rolled out in 12 hospitals. 12 hospitals for a population of over 200 million is very small. There is a lot more to be done.
“I think we just need a lot more dialysis centres. There are places that we haven’t even reached. We are trying to open a centre in Ife, Osun State. In Ife today, there is no single dialysis centre that is fully functional.”
He said the private sector could not provide dialysis services alone because of the country’s low insurance coverage, noting that most insurance packages either excluded dialysis or covered only a limited number of sessions.
According to him, patients with end-stage kidney disease may require dialysis two to three times weekly, with each session lasting about four hours.
“Even at our prices, it is still expensive. It is still beyond the reach of the average Nigerian,” he added.
Oladipupo disclosed that Osiris charges N35,000 per dialysis session in Lagos and Ibadan, saying the
company was deliberately keeping its fees relatively low to provide relief for patients.“We are a business; we are not a non-governmental organisation. But for us, it is about purpose as well as profit. We are trying to provide some relief for the patient,” he said.
He called for stronger collaboration between government and private healthcare providers to increase dialysis machines and centres across the country, as well as better insurance coverage.
Oladipupo also urged Nigerians to undergo regular health checks, particularly for hypertension and diabetes, which he said could increase the risk of kidney disease.
“We all need to be more health-conscious. We need to take our annual check-ups more seriously and check our blood pressure. If you do have high blood pressure, it can be managed. It is cheaper to manage hypertension than it is to manage kidney disease,” he urged.
A beneficiary of the free dialysis programme, who requested anonymity, said the intervention had provided significant relief after five months of treatment.
She said, “I can say it’s life-changing because, looking at the cost of dialysis these days, it is really overwhelming and very expensive. So, I’m really happy I got the opportunity to be a part of this movement.”
Describing Osiris Health as a “lifesaver,” she added, “Anyone going through this would know how much they’ve been spending. So, having an organisation to do this for you for free is really a big relief, and I’m happy and grateful to them for their support.”
