According to Tunji Alausa, the minister of state for health and social welfare, President Bola Tinubu is worried about the recent increase in prescription prices and the recent shortage of necessary medications in the nation.
The minister told reporters that the president was having sleepless nights over the current state of affairs, citing the high cost of medications and the departure of some multinational pharmaceutical companies from Nigeria as the main issues the president was working nonstop to address. The minister was speaking to reporters following the official commissioning of a new clinical complex at the Federal Medical Centre, Ebutte Metta, Lagos.
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Remember that in August of 2023, the multinational British biotechnology and pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline announced that it was leaving Nigeria?
Following GSK’s departure, the company’s medicines became more expensive because fewer of their goods were available.
According to Anaedoonline.ng, the minister emphasised that the president was committed to creating comprehensive, long-lasting, and sustainable healthcare systems for Nigerians.
He said, “Mr. President is having sleepless nights on this drug scarcity. He has discussed with us what we need to do. What President Bola Ahmed Tinubu wants for this country is sustainable, durable, comprehensive health care. He just doesn’t want us to scratch the surface.
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“He (Tinubu) is very real and very truthful to Nigerians. He wants to fix the healthcare system, and he is working to deploy his time and resources of the country into our healthcare system. I know things are hard, but Nigerians should bear with us. Things will be turned to get better in the not-too-distant future.”
“It is a multifaceted solution that we have to provide to this problem. Number one, we have the problem of counterfeiting as well. We are working with NAFDAC and Customs to reduce the importation of counterfeit drugs into our country. We are also working with some of the local pharmaceutical companies to increase production.
“And some of the companies that are planning to leave, we are talking to them to bear with us not to leave. We are also working on various forms of integrations where we can encourage local manufacturing in our country.”
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