As Nigeria joins the rest of the world in observing World Malaria Day today, patients are expressing their concerns about the increasing prices of antimalarial medications, leading to worries about financial instability and reduced life expectancy.

While the Federal Government has acknowledged the issue and claims to be working on interventions, many Nigerians are still struggling to afford essential drugs, including those for malaria treatment.

World Malaria Day is marked annually on April 25th to highlight global efforts in the fight against malaria. This year’s theme, ‘Accelerating the fight against malaria for a more equitable world,’ underscores the importance of continued efforts to combat this deadly disease.

Recent investigations have revealed a significant increase in the prices of various antimalarial drugs in Nigeria, with some experiencing price hikes ranging from 12% to 23% between November 2023 and April 2024.

For example, in November, an Artesunate injection of 120mg was sold for N2,500, while the 60mg injection was priced at N1,800. However, by April, the prices had risen to N2,800 and N2,000, respectively. Coartem 80/480 Amatem soft gel, and Lonart 80/480mg also saw substantial price increases during this period.

The surge in prices has placed a significant burden on individuals like Amina Yusuf, a school teacher, who finds the cost of antimalarial drugs to be unaffordable and calls for urgent government intervention to address this pressing issue.

“They keep telling us that we should not use concoctions to treat ourselves, yet we can’t afford the drugs at the pharmacies.

“Malaria is common in Nigeria, hence the need for the government to intervene. The high prices of drugs have become unbearable, and my take-home pay at the end of the month is not enough,” Yusuf stated.

Mr Akin Ojo stated that he turned to herbal remedies for treating his malaria diagnosis due to being unable to afford antimalarial medications at the pharmacy.

“When taking those medications, you have to eat well. They will still tell you to buy paradol or paracetamol, and by the time you calculate everything, you will see that people like us can’t afford it,” he lamented.

According to Dr. Osagie Ehanire, the former Minister of Health, approximately 55 million cases of malaria and nearly 90,000 malaria-related deaths are reported annually in Nigeria. He also highlighted that the economic impact of malaria in Nigeria was around $1.6 billion (N687 billion) in 2022 and is projected to increase to about $2.8 billion (N2 trillion) by 2030.

Adewale Oladigbolu, the National Chairman of the Association of Community Pharmacists in Nigeria, emphasized the need for the government to make significant investments in the healthcare sector to lower drug prices in the country when speaking with our correspondent.

“Patients are not meant to have a problem with the prices of drugs if the health insurance is working in Nigeria. The government needs to invest so we can make Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients because many of the antimalarial drugs are imported.

“For those that are locally made, they have to improve the APIs, and they are subject to changes in exchange rates.

“If the government invests in the sector and partners with the private sector, that will help in the reduction of antimalarial drugs. Nigeria is probably the country that has the highest antimalarial consumption rate in the whole world,” he stated.

According to the WHO, the African Region bears a significant share of the worldwide malaria burden, with roughly 95% of all malaria cases and 96% of all malaria deaths in 2021.

Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, Regional Director for Africa at WHO, noted that , “While Nigeria accounts for around 27 per cent of the global burden of malaria cases, the country has seen major progress.

“Malaria incidence has fallen by 26 per cent since 2000, from 413 per 1000 to 302 per 1000 in 2021. Malaria deaths also fell by 55 per cent, from 2.1 per 1000 population to 0.9 per 1000 population.

“Drivers of this continuing disease burden include the size of Nigeria’s population, making scaling up intervention challenging; suboptimal surveillance systems, which pick up less than 40 per cent of the country’s malaria data; inadequate funding to ensure universal interventions across all states; and health-seeking behaviour, where people use the private sector, with limited regulation, preferentially.”

WHO mentioned that malaria continues to be a significant worldwide health issue, particularly impacting the most vulnerable populations. It emphasized that children in sub-Saharan Africa who come from the poorest households are especially at risk of contracting the disease.

“Pregnant women, refugees, migrants, internally displaced people, and Indigenous Peoples are among the other groups at higher risk of contracting malaria.

“Too many people continue to miss out on the services and information they need to prevent, detect and treat malaria, especially those experiencing disadvantage, discrimination and exclusion,” it stated.

The WHO emphasized the importance of enhancing and increasing support for these groups in order to effectively meet the global malaria goals.