Nigerians squeezed by soaring drug prices
The bitter pill of survival in a country where medicine costs more than meals, and survival becomes a gamble.
Over the past 18 months, the cost of essential medicines has risen by as much as 300 percent. Basic drugs like paracetamol, antimalarials, and antibiotics, once considered affordable, are now slipping out of reach for ordinary Nigerians. The result is quite worrying, as many people are abandoning hospitals and opting for self-medication, turning to unregulated herbal remedies.
A sachet of paracetamol used to be a quick, pocket-friendly fix. But today, and in many parts of Nigeria, that same drug costs four to five times more than it did just two years ago. For countless citizens, falling ill has become a financial nightmare.
Public health experts fear an outbreak of a full-blown public health crisis. However, for millions of people who are already experiencing inflation, currency devaluation, and the rising cost of living, not getting sick has become the new mode of survival.
A price hike too steep for many
Reports from The Sun show the burden Nigerians face. In Bayelsa, a young woman recounted paying ₦500 for Mixagrip after catching a cold, while hospital registration cards in some areas have soared to ₦2,500. Similar frustrations are echoed in Lagos and Port Harcourt, where even everyday medications are now treated like luxury items.
Pharmaceutical dealers argue they, too, are victims. Import costs, inflation, and volatile exchange rates have driven prices upward, leaving retailers with little choice but to pass on the pain to consumers. Meanwhile, the Federal Government’s MediPool initiative, designed to reduce drug costs through bulk purchasing, has yet to make any noticeable impact.
The crisis has been worsened by the exit of several multinational pharmaceutical companies, who cite Nigeria’s harsh business climate, unstable forex, and poor infrastructure as reasons for leaving. Their departure has left a vacuum in supply, shrinking competition, and giving room for price hikes and shortages across the country.
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Fake drugs and unsafe practices on the rise
The economic squeeze has created fertile ground for counterfeit medicines. Traffickers are flooding markets with cloned and substandard drugs, putting desperate patients at even greater risk.
The Sun also captured the story of Alhassan Sodiq, a Lagos barber: “People are turning to traditional herbs, but it is dangerous. My cousin with fibroids could not afford proper treatment and used herbs. The fibroid got worse. We had to borrow to take her to a hospital. We are still in debt.”
Such stories reveal how financial barriers are pushing Nigerians into riskier health choices, often with devastating consequences.
The economic pressure has created fertile ground for fake drug traffickers, who are flooding markets with cloned and substandard medicines. At the same time, many rural dwellers, especially in areas hit by insurgency, have resorted to mixing herbs and plants in desperate attempts to treat themselves.
And the reality of that is that a person should not be forced to either feed their family or have to purchase drugs. Nigerians will keep on improvising, surviving, and hoping that the next fever, headache, or infection does not end their lives before they can get affordable health access.
