Children Left Out of FG’s Dialysis Subsidy, Say Nephrologists

The Nigerian Association of Nephrology (NAN) has raised alarm over the exclusion of children from the Federal Government’s recent dialysis cost reduction programme.

Speaking in Lagos on Thursday, the association’s president, Prof. Olugbenga Awobusuyi, commended the initiative but lamented what he described as a “disturbing disparity” in pricing between adults and children.

“With the intervention, adults now pay ₦12,000 per session, while children are still charged between ₦40,000 and ₦50,000 depending on the facility,” he told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

The Federal Government recently slashed the cost of dialysis in designated federal hospitals from ₦50,000 to ₦12,000 per session under its Renewed Hope Agenda, a policy aimed at widening access to healthcare and addressing the growing burden of kidney diseases.

Awobusuyi stressed that excluding children from the subsidy undermines the programme’s impact, urging government to make the initiative comprehensive. He also called for the integration of dialysis and kidney transplant services into the National Health Insurance Scheme to ensure long-term sustainability.

According to him, improving access must go beyond federal facilities to include more hospitals nationwide, alongside urgent investments in dialysis machines and proper maintenance of existing ones.

Citing World Health Organisation (WHO) data, he noted that chronic kidney disease (CKD) is now the 10th leading cause of death globally, affecting more than 850 million people. In Nigeria alone, nephrologists estimate that over 25 million citizens may be living with the condition.

“The government’s effort is commendable, but for families battling childhood kidney disease, the costs remain crippling,” Awobusuyi said.