Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Mohammad Peete said on Saturday that strengthening local production of medical products will help address rising drug prices in the country.
Pate lamented the soaring prices of once-affordable antibiotics and basic medicines, arguing that the cause of soaring drug prices was “what’s happening around the world stage.”
Speaking at a cancer awareness program organized by the Air Force Officers’ Wives Association of Nigeria, he stressed the importance of unlocking the health value chain to boost local production to counter soaring drug prices.
Mr. Pate, who attended the event on behalf of Senior Special Adviser Emmanuel Odu, said: “Unlocking the healthcare value chain, and that includes strengthening or initiating local manufacturing of health products, medical products, pharmaceuticals and other related products. “It’s related to the issues that arise.” .
“We now know that the cost of medicines is very high. Antibiotics and basic medicines could be bought for 4,000 Naira not so long ago, but with what is happening in the international arena, the prices have gone down. It’s soaring.
“Therefore, we are striving to increase local production of health products and medicines by unlocking the health value chain.”
Commenting on the government’s efforts to fight cancer, Pate said cancer centers are being established in all six geographical zones.
He added that diagnosis, treatment and advanced interventions, which many people travel abroad to undergo, will be carried out at all centres.
Mr Pate added: The government will establish cancer centers in each of the geopolitical zones and high-level interventions in diagnosis, treatment and cancer management will be provided in all geopolitical zones across the country.
“This means that services that are sought after in India, Germany and other parts of the world will be delivered in Nigeria.”
In her address, NAFOWA National President, Rakiya Abubakar, pledged that the association would provide support to those fighting and combating the disease.
She said: “As an association, we remain steadfast in our resolve to fight this disease. We will be a voice for the voiceless, a source of hope for those facing the toughest battles, and a national We pledge to be a beacon of change.
“Together with our education, empowerment and cancer treatment centers, we are equipped to make great strides towards eradicating cancer. By uniting in this cause, we can ensure that cancer is no longer a part of our lives. Let’s move towards a future where we won’t be left behind.”
