Dialysis or death: How Nigeria’s kidney disease crisis is killing patients who can’t pay to stay alive

More than 150 kidney patients gathered under canopies in Enugu — many in wheelchairs, with swollen limbs and abdomens — have put a human face on Nigeria’s worsening kidney disease crisis, where approximately 90 per cent of patients discontinue dialysis within one year solely because of cost.

According to Vanguard, consultant Nephrologist Dr Abdulwasiu Busari confirmed the alarming dropout rate, while philanthropist Emmanuel Okoh — who has spent N15 million this year alone supporting Enugu patients — warned that some die while waiting months for financial assistance.

“Look at them. They are hopeless and helpless. Some might not see the next day,” Okoh said.

Compounding the crisis, experts say kidney disease is increasingly striking Nigerians between ages 40 and 60 — their most productive years — often going undetected until organs have nearly completely shut down.