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At 30,000 naira, or about $23 a month, Nigeria has one of the lowest minimum wages in the world. That leaves almost nothing for the average Nigerian, many of whom are struggling to pay for lifesaving medications amid the country’s soaring inflation rate and high import duties.
Local pharmaceutical companies are also grappling with the high cost of production, with big multinationals such as GSK and Sanofi shutting their operations in the country due to the worsening economic conditions and revenue losses.
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The exits left critical medications out of reach for many Nigerians, Pelumi Salako reports for Devex. For example, a Ventolin inhaler for the treatment of asthma is now priced at 18,500 naira, and antibiotic Augmentin now costs 20,000 naira.
Some people have looked to cheaper alternatives for their treatment needs, but experts fear those may cause them harm. The proliferation of substandard and fake medicines is a huge problem in Nigeria, and it is contributing to antimicrobial drug resistance. Some are turning to local herbal medicines such as agbo, which experts warn causes kidney failure.
The government is now reviewing the country’s minimum wage, which lawmakers argue is far from a living wage. Experts are also urging the government to invest in local drug research and development, introduce policies regulating drug prices, and subsidize essential medications for its vulnerable population. They also called on the government to increase health insurance coverage to protect people in need of health care from financial hardships.
Read: Drug prices soar after pharma giants GSK and Sanofi exit Nigeria
+ Devex Pro members can read about why African pharmaceutical manufacturers have the odds stacked against them.
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A second blow
Human rights activists are disappointed that Uganda’s constitutional court did not nullify the entire Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2023, which criminalizes homosexuals and prescribes the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality.”
Since it became law last year, aid agencies and members of civil society have documented a drop in the number of people accessing HIV prevention and treatment services, and other human rights violations, which they fear will continue.
There have been over 180 evictions; 18 cases of forced anal examinations; 176 cases of violations of torture; 159 cases of violations of the right to equality and freedom of discrimination; and 102 hospitalizations directly linked to the violations prescribed in the law, according to the NGO Convening for Equality, whose members are part of the LGBTQ+ communities.
Yet apart from U.S. funding restrictions and a World Bank funding freeze, other donors have not particularly taken a tough stance, according to civil society groups. One activist says the European Union, in particular, “is giving red carpet [treatment] to Ugandan authorities.”
“The EU’s response in Uganda has been lackluster compared to their U.S counterparts,” Clare Byarugaba from local civil society group Chapter Four tells Devex contributor Amy Fallon. “That is sending a certain message to other countries like Poland and Kenya that are considering similar draconian anti-LGBTIQ rights laws and rolling back protections to their most vulnerable populations.”
Other countries are following in the footsteps of Uganda. In Ghana, activists said people are scared of walking on the streets after the introduction of a bill seeking to prosecute and punish any individuals, institutions, or organizations for assisting LGBTQ+ people. The bill also criminalizes renting out houses to queer people.
“If you’re having a bill that prohibits renting a house out to queer people, are we going to even have a health service? The bill prohibits everything,” Va-Bene Elikem Fiatsi, a transgender woman, artist, and activist from Ghana, tells Amy.
Read: Uganda tweaked its anti-gay law just to get donor cash, activists say
Unpopular opinion?
Often health programs close because of lack of funding. But in Ghana, an international NGO shut down its postpartum family planning program because it found there's low need for it.
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In an opinion piece for Devex, Sarah Eustis-Guthrie, co-founder and director of research and strategy at Maternal Health Initiative, writes that postpartum family planning “is likely a poor use of resources in contexts where many of the women it reaches are not interested or in need of its services.”
Many African women are already protected from pregnancy for an entire year postpartum due to abstinence and breastfeeding, which delays the return of menstruation, she writes.
She says recent studies have shown that this type of programming has shown limited or no effect at all on rates of unintended pregnancy. And without real evidence of impact, she argues against further funding this type of programming: “Funding should go to programs with a clear track record of impact. Postpartum family planning isn’t one of those interventions.”
Opinion: The case against funding postpartum family planning
+ Do you agree? In your experience, what other popular health programs or interventions are not working and should retire? Email us your thoughts at checkup@devex.com.
Antimalarial pipeline
There is a lot of excitement around new malaria vaccines, but experts say no one intervention can beat malaria. The emerging partial parasite resistance to the wonder drug artemisinin in parts of Africa is a clear indication that new treatments are urgently needed.
Pharmaceutical giant Novartis is working on three new drugs specifically to address antimalarial resistance. The most advanced in clinical development is called Ganaplacide, which has the potential to clear infection and kill the sexual transmission stages of the parasite, helping stop further spread of malaria.
If successful, it could help tackle parasite resistance. In trials, the drug in combination with the antimalarial drug lumefantrine has shown to clear preexisting parasites that have developed partial resistance to artemisinin.
Novartis expects the trials to conclude in 2025, and the company is already in talks with procurement agencies, such as The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, regarding its accessibility in low- and middle-income countries. But it could take a while before the drug is made accessible to pregnant women. Novartis says more safety data is needed before they can push ahead in trialing the drug to pregnant women.
Read: New Novartis drug aims to tackle parasite resistance to antimalarials
What we’re reading
Gaza’s largest hospital, al-Shifa, is now out of service after a two-week raid by Israeli military forces. [Le Monde]
Countries in the Americas are experiencing potentially the worst outbreak of dengue, according to the Pan-American Health Organization. [Reuters]
New research suggests diabetes drug lixisenatide can slow progression of Parkinson’s disease. [The Guardian]
About the author
Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo
Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
