Lives at Risk: Cancer Survivor Pushes for Urgent Release of NCD Budget

By Julian Osamoto

When cancer survivor Maimuna Barau speaks about the cost of staying alive in Nigeria, her voice carries the weight of millions living with chronic illnesses.

Barau said “Patients have carried this burden for too long,
while only 6% of the health budget goes to NCDs, and nearly none of the 2025 activities have been executed.”

Those unfunded interventions include new cancer centres, eye clinics, screenings for hypertension and diabetes, and training for health workers  services many Nigerians urgently need.

Barau is among several advocates urging the Federal Government to immediately release the 2025 budget for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), warning that the delays are worsening health and economic hardship for patients.

She spoke in Abuja during a briefing to mark Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day, where the Patient Advocacy Working Group (AWG), a coalition of hypertension patients, civil society organisations and health professionals raised alarm over Nigeria’s unmet commitments to protect vulnerable citizens.

A Silent Crisis Affecting One in Three Adults

NCDs such as hypertension, diabetes, cancers and chronic respiratory diseases are now among the major causes of illness and disability in Nigeria.

According to Mrs. Ijeoma Joseph-Agbara of the AWG, the numbers are stark:

• 1 in 3 adults lives with an NCD
• Less than 20% get proper diagnosis or treatment
• Nigeria is far from meeting its 2019–2025 targets of 80% coverage and a 25% reduction in NCD deaths

“For many families, the issue isn’t just the size of the NCD budget, it’s the lack of action,” she said.

Many patients either delay care or abandon treatment altogether because of high costs, poor access to screening and the rising price of medicines.

Health Workers Unable to Act Without Funds

The General Secretary of the Health Sector Reform Coalition, Ndaeyo Iwot, also criticised the stalled release of funds.

According to him, “Allocations mean nothing without timely release.
The Federal Government must immediately release all NCD budget lines in the 2025 budget.”

He also called for ring-fencing the Sugar-Sweetened Beverage (SSB) tax, proposing that at least 40% of the revenue be directed to essential medicines, diagnostics and NCD services.

With 70% of healthcare costs paid out-of-pocket, millions with long-term illnesses feel abandoned in a system meant to support them.

The Vice President of the Nigeria Cancer Society, Dr Chi-Kadibia Ukoma, noted that the failure to implement the 2025 budget is leaving patients less protected and more vulnerable.

Speaking at the event, Victor Eyinla, of the Leesdale Legislative Initiative said the patient community is uniting to demand government action on NCDs. He stressed that progress is impossible without patient involvement and called on the government to prioritize care, reduce the burden, and ensure access to life-saving treatments.

Weak Primary Healthcare Blocking Early Diagnosis

The AWG warned that limited screening centres, rising drug prices and fragile primary healthcare systems are preventing early detection of NCDs.

For conditions like hypertension and diabetes, early diagnosis is critical, yet:

• Half of adults with diabetes remain undiagnosed
• Only one in five people with hypertension has their condition under control

The group believes strengthening Primary Health Care (PHC) is the key as

“Up to 90% of UHC services, including NCD care can be delivered at PHC level if properly equipped and staffed.”

Advocates say unless PHCs are upgraded, Nigeria’s UHC commitments will remain out of reach.

Call To Action

The AWG says it is ready to partner with government but demanded urgent action, including:

• Immediate release of the 2025 NCD budget
• A dedicated hypertension budget line
• Protected and ring-fenced funding for NCD programmes
• Integration of NCD services into NHIA and BHCPF benefit packages
• Use of the SSB tax to fund NCD prevention, diagnostics and treatment

“Patients have been on the sidelines for too long as policies are made on their behalf, we call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Assembly to show decisive leadership.” the group said.