Nigeria’s growing kidney disease burden is leaving patients and their families struggling to cope with the enormous cost of treatment, with specialists warning that many sufferers are abandoning dialysis because they can no longer afford it.
The challenge was brought into sharp focus in Enugu, where more than 150 kidney patients recently gathered under canopies while seeking assistance to continue their treatment. Images and videos from the gathering showed patients arriving in wheelchairs, while some had visibly swollen legs, faces and abdomens.
Many of those affected are living with end-stage kidney disease, a severe stage in which dialysis or a kidney transplant may be required to keep patients alive. The group included both adults and children, highlighting the fact that kidney disease can affect people across different ages and social backgrounds.
Consultant Nephrologist, Dr Abdulwasiu Busari, said about 90 per cent of Nigerian patients discontinue dialysis within a year, with treatment costs being a major reason.
He said the situation reflected a wider kidney-care crisis in the country, particularly as severe kidney disease is affecting Nigerians during their economically productive years.
The precise national burden of kidney disease remains difficult to establish because Nigeria does not currently have nationally representative data covering the entire population. Studies carried out in different parts of the country have produced varying prevalence estimates because of differences in the populations studied, locations and diagnostic methods.
A 2025 review put estimates of chronic kidney disease among Nigerian adults in various studies between 10 and 19 per cent, while an earlier systematic review reported estimates ranging from 2.5 to 26 per cent. Experts caution that these figures should not be regarded as a definitive national prevalence rate.
Globally, the World Health Organization estimates that about 674 million people are living with chronic kidney disease, with the majority in low- and middle-income countries.
In Enugu, philanthropist Emmanuel Onyeka Okoh, popularly known as Okwulora, has been helping patients struggling to pay their medical bills.
Okoh said he had been forced to sell some of his personal belongings to support patients and had spent about N15m at Park Lane Hospital, Enugu, in 2026 alone to settle treatment bills.
According to him, some patients wait for months, and in certain cases up to a year, before receiving assistance, while others die after failing to raise enough money for continued dialysis.
He said his financial intervention generally covers treatment for one or two months, after which patients are again faced with the challenge of finding money for subsequent sessions.
Okoh expressed particular concern about the number of children suffering from kidney problems, saying some of the patients brought to him were between six and 10 years old.
He questioned why children who had never smoked or consumed alcohol were already battling serious kidney conditions and described their future as uncertain without sustained treatment.
“I’m already tired,” the philanthropist said, reflecting the emotional and financial strain of personally supporting an increasing number of patients.
Disease hitting Nigerians in their working years
Consultant Nephrologist at the Federal Medical Centre, Ebute Metta, Dr Danladi Nmadu, said a significant proportion of Nigerians with severe kidney impairment or those undergoing dialysis are between 40 and 60 years old.
He noted that the pattern differs from what is commonly seen in developed countries, where kidney disease tends to become more prevalent among people in their 60s and older.
Nmadu said the earlier onset among Nigerians carries serious economic consequences because the disease is affecting people during their productive years.
One major challenge, he explained, is that kidney disease can remain unnoticed for a long period because the kidneys are capable of functioning even after suffering significant damage.
He said many patients therefore do not seek medical attention until their kidney function has deteriorated severely.
According to the nephrologist, early detection can allow doctors to slow or halt the progression of the disease and prevent patients from reaching kidney failure.
He also blamed poor health-seeking behaviour for some late presentations, noting that many people assume they are healthy simply because they do not feel sick.
N150,000 weekly for dialysis
For patients who eventually develop end-stage kidney disease, the financial burden can become overwhelming.
Nmadu said a dialysis session costs about N50,000, while patients may require two or three sessions each week. This means a patient could spend around N100,000 to N150,000 weekly on dialysis alone.
Busari added that patients have several other medical expenses beyond the dialysis sessions, including investigations, erythropoietin and iron treatment.
He estimated that the total monthly expenditure for someone undergoing regular dialysis could reach approximately N600,000.
For many Nigerian families already struggling with rising living costs, such expenses are difficult to sustain.
The consequences can be devastating. Nmadu said findings from their practice indicated that more than 70 per cent of patients requiring dialysis die within two years, with inability to maintain regular treatment identified as a major factor behind poor survival.
Busari similarly linked the high rate of treatment discontinuation to the financial pressure placed on patients and their families.
The situation has renewed calls for greater attention to kidney disease prevention, early screening and affordable access to treatment, as patients continue to face the choice between finding huge sums for dialysis and risking their lives by going without it.
