By Julian Osamoto
Nigeria is facing a growing hypertension crisis as public investment in preventing and controlling the condition remains far below the level needed to tackle its health and economic impact.
The Policy and Advocacy Officer, of Legislative Initiative for Sustainable Development LISDEL Olympus Adebanjo, who revealed this while presenting the findings, at a media masterclass in Abuja, said lifestyle, hereditary factors and emotional stress were among the major risk factors for hypertension.
“Only 0.05 per cent of Nigeria’s 2025 health budget went to hypertension, compared with an estimated annual investment requirement of 0.7 per cent, according to a hypertension financing factsheet by the Legislative Initiative for Sustainable Developmen, LISDEL”.
The funding gap comes as more than 20 million Nigerians are estimated to have elevated blood pressure, with four in 10 adults affected, the report says.
“Yet only 30 to 37 per cent of people living with the condition have their blood pressure under control, while just four per cent of treated patients achieve the recommended target, according to the factsheet”.
The poor level of control is also creating a financial burden for families.
The report states that, households spend between $20 and $55 or more each month managing hypertension, while fewer than five per cent of patients receiving primary healthcare have prepaid insurance coverage, leaving most costs to be paid directly by patients.
LISDEL estimates that 48.2 per cent of households affected by hypertension face a risk of impoverishment, while 63 per cent of Nigerians live below the national poverty line.
“The economic cost extends beyond medical bills. Hypertension and other non-communicable diseases are estimated to cause at least $400 million in productivity losses each year”.
The report also reveals that health consequences are severe. “Hypertension contributes to more than 14,000 ischaemic heart disease events and over 13,000 strokes annually”.
It recommends that government must look beyond budget allocations to determine whether approved funds are released and used for their intended purposes.
Earlier, LISDEL Programme Director, Damilola Ademuyiwa, said sustained media scrutiny remains key to keep hypertension and other non-communicable diseases on the government and public agenda.
Ademuyiwa urged journalists to examine the gap between overall health spending and the resources reaching programmes that target non-communicable diseases.
“It is really important that we sustain conversation about the government addressing the issues of non-communicable diseases,” he said.
Ademuyiwa said the HEARTS programme, piloted in Kano, Ogun State and the Federal Capital Territory, shows how primary healthcare can provide an effective platform for preventing and controlling hypertension.
“The factsheet estimates that a government investment of $113 million could avert up to 77,500 deaths over the next 15 years”.
The recommendations form part of the Advocacy Partnership for Hypertension Financing and Patient Voice project, implemented by LISDEL with support from the Global Health Advocacy Incubator and in partnership with Resolve to Save Lives.
