Make BP drugs free for Nigerians, healthcare providers urge FG

Medical experts and healthcare providers in Nigeria are currently urging the Federal Government to make blood pressure (BP) medications free and more accessible, warning that the rising cost of treatment has become a "time bomb" for the country's population.

This appeal, highlighted in reports from Tuesday, March 31, 2026, comes as practitioners observe a sharp increase in hypertension cases linked to the country’s current economic pressures.

The Case for Free BP Medication
During a medical outreach in Mowe, Ogun State, health practitioners led by Olaide Albert, founder of Fluxbridge Healthcare Services, made a formal plea for government intervention:

Economic Barrier: Many Nigerians can no longer afford the basic medications required for lifelong hypertension management. This has led to "poor disease control" and a spike in life-threatening complications like strokes and heart failure.

Alarming Statistics: Outreach screenings revealed that a significant number of residents have blood pressure readings as high as 180/110 mmHg, often without being aware of their condition until it reaches a crisis point.

The "One in Three" Burden: Professor Simeon Isezuo, President of the Nigerian Hypertension Society, recently noted that one in every three Nigerian adults is hypertensive, making it one of the most pressing public health challenges in the country.

Strategic Recommendations for the Government
The healthcare community is proposing a multi-pronged approach to address this crisis:

Universal Health Coverage (UHC): Prioritize the inclusion of essential NCD (Non-Communicable Disease) drugs in the national health insurance framework.

Local Manufacturing: Experts, including the Emir of Kano, Mallam Muhammadu Sanusi II, have urged the FG to fast-track policies that drive large-scale local pharmaceutical production to reduce the 70% dependency on imported medicines.

Price Control & Subsidies: Implement immediate policies to crash the prices of life-saving medications, specifically for low-income households.

Current Government & Research Initiatives
While the call for entirely free drugs is ongoing, some progress is being made in primary care:

HTN 2.0 Program: A major program (2024–2026) has been expanding the WHO HEARTS package across 60 primary healthcare centers in the FCT and five other states (Abia, Delta, Gombe, Jigawa, and Oyo).

Drug Revolving Funds (DRF): To ensure sustainability, several centers have successfully implemented DRFs, which have improved the availability of affordable, quality-assured BP medications even after initial free supplies ended.

Digital Inventory Model: The Federal Ministry of Health recently launched a digitalized inventory consignment model to eliminate "drug stockouts" in tertiary hospitals and improve the transparency of essential medicine distribution.

"My appeal to the FG is that, if possible, they should make high blood pressure drugs free for all Nigerians. For many, a reading of 180 is a time bomb waiting to explode." — Olaide Albert, Healthcare Practitioner