The Federal Government is introducing a funding mechanism to carter for patients with confirmed cases of Lassa Fever in the country, the Director General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, has said.
Ihekweazu made the disclosure on Sunday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
He
explained that the aim of the healthcare fund was to ensure that money
does not become a hindrance for patients in accessing lassa fever
treatment.
“We are making plans through the Basic Primary
Healthcare Provision Fund, the new funding instituted by the federal
government, to cover the cost of treatment of confirmed cases of Lassa
fever patients.
“A process is ongoing on how to manage this and it is at the heart of discussion at all levels of government at the moment.
“The
aim is to make sure that ability to pay is not a barrier to accessing
the treatment for public health diseases such as lassa fever,” Ihekweazu
said.
According to him, efforts are being made by the government
through the NCDC to reduce the burden of lassa fever treatment on
patients, pending the take- off of the healthcare fund.
The NCDC
boss explained that “We from the federal government level have made sure
that the core treatment costs are covered; of course when you are
admitted in a hospital there are other costs accrued to you.
“What we have been doing with the Teaching Hospitals is to make sure that such cost is reduced to the barest minimum.
“In some cases we are able to treat patients absolutely free, in other cases they still have to pay.
“What
we have ensured in all the treatment centres in Nigeria is that no
patient has ever been turned away because of his or her inability to pay
and no patient has been detained in any hospital for not being able to
pay.
“So, eventually, either upfront or at the end of that treatment period, we ensure that everyone gets the treatment,” he said.
Ihekweazu
urged Nigerians to adopt all possible preventive measures such as safe
food storage principle and keeping a clean environment to ward off
rodents.
He said: “You don’t need to be wealthy to keep your
environment clean, so, the key thing is to get the messages out in all
Nigerian languages that this is what you need to do to prevent the
disease.
“Prevention is so much cheaper than cure because the illness can kill. This is a big financial burden for government.
“Even
though the cost of lassa treatment is very high, we have carried the
biggest part of that cost on behalf of the Nigerian government, and we
have ensured that the core treatment cost of every Lassa fever patient
is covered.
“Ribalvrin is a very expensive drug but we ensure
that every confirmed case gets the drug free, but no matter how
accessible you can make the treatment of lassa, it is always cheaper to
prevent it.
“So, we are really encouraging people not to even get
into the circle of treatment because even with all the resource in the
world, we still cannot guarantee a great outcome.
“I can tell you
that the best most effective, most efficient and most cost effective
form of managing this disease is preventing it from happening in the
first place,” he added.
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