The House of Representatives on Tuesday urged the Federal Government to fully equip kidney dialysis centres in health facilities across the country and subsidize treatments for kidney disease patients.
The House made the call following the adoption of a motion moved by Zannah Usman on Tuesday.
Moving the motion, Usman said that subsidizing the cost of treatment would encourage patients to seek early intervention.
The lawmaker said that according to reports, the disease affects 20 percent of Nigerians and contributes to the rising mortality rates in the country.
He said the death rates were a result of patients inability to afford the cost of treatment and access to facilities.
He expressed “concerns that most communities did not have primary health centres which made it difficult to identify people with kidney disease and those that risked developing the disease.”
Usman also said: “that the rate of poverty in the country, lack of government attention on those with kidney disease, low number of doctors in rural areas, low number of nephrologists in the country and lack of facilities to effectively manage those patients are major challenges that need to be addressed urgently.”
Therefore the House accordingly resolved to urge the Federal Government to employ qualified personnel to manage the Centres and subsidize treatments for kidney disease patients.
Urged the Ministry of Information and Culture and the National Orientation Agency to commence sensitization campaigns on the need to seek treatment in the healthcare facilities, especially those in the rural areas.
And mandated the Committees on Health Institutions, Healthcare Services, and Information, National Orientation, Ethics, and Values to liaise with relevant stakeholders.
