The National Action on Sugar Reduction (NASR) has said that Nigeria is losing the sum of $4.5 billion to diabetes treatment annually.
It also added that about not 11.2 million Nigerians are battling the disease.
The coalition, disclosed this in Abuja during an Art Exhibition commemorating the 2023 World Diabetes Day in Abuja.
It also urged the federal government to increase taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) to generate more revenues for the government and also safeguard the health of Nigerians.
Speaking, the President of the Diabetes Association of Nigeria (DAN), Dr. Alkali Mohammed, decried the amount spent on diabetes treatment in the country and called for increased awareness, education, and access to healthcare services for those affected by the disease.
“In a better analysis in Nigeria, we have up to 11.2 million, but we all know it is an under-reflection of what is happening. We have much more but the most important thing is that for us to know that it is there and we need to do something.
“We don’t need to be told, we don’t need to rise as a group to fight we know that sugars are not healthy to eat and we know also that the amount of sugars in the sweetened beverages that we consume, sometimes we wonder what is the target because the amount they put is beyond add for taste. So, I think it is high time we put effort together to discourage consumption of sugar by increasing the tax.”
Also, the Spokesperson of the coalition, Omei Bongos-Ikwue, said that through patient stories and testimonials, the exhibition informed and educated stakeholders on Nigeria’s diabetes burden and the need for action to reduce the difficulties of living with diabetes in the country.
According to him, A chronic disease that negatively impacts every organ in the body, diabetes affects over 11 million Nigerians. One of the significant contributors to the diabetes epidemic in Nigeria is the consumption of sugary drinks.
On his part, the President, Nigeria Cancer Society, Dr. Adamu Alhasan Usman, who decried the huge amount of money being spent on the treatment of the diseases and its patients, called for proper implementation and allocation of the accrued tax on the SSBs to further improve healthcare services.
“The 11.2m Nigerians battling diabetes may be an underestimation, and so many patients die as a result of complications of diabetes mellitus.
“This is why the NASR is advocating for not just an increase in the sugary packs, but the proper implementation and allocation of the accrued tax to further improve healthcare services, improve access to medicines for diabetes patients, and better the primary health care structures at the local localities for effective screening modalities.”